- See also: Dracula (Nintendo 64)
Malus is a character in Castlevania and Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness. He is a mysterious young boy who apparently was kidnapped from a nearly village and brought into the castle.
Character's history
Dracula's proxies (Gilles de Rais, Actrise and Death) have been kidnapping small children and bringing them to Castlevania. At the request of the church, Henry Oldrey rescues the majority of them. Reinhardt Schneider and Carrie Fernandez interact with one such child, a young violin virtuoso named Malus. He appears to be the child of noble parents, being dressed in ornate but slightly worse-for-wear finery. They first encounter him in the hedge maze, as they are stalked by the Gardener and two hellhounds. Before the monsters make their appearance, Malus asks the player for help, stating that the village was burned and he was kidnapped with the rest of the children. He then says that he has a headache and can't remember anymore. Then the monsters show up and he runs away. With the player's help, Malus is led to safety.
The hero next encounters Malus in the Castle Center, where it seems the child has gone mad. After asking peculiar questions and making disquieting statements about Dracula, he runs deeper into the castle before the heroes can investigate.
If the player reaches the Castle Keep before fellow vampire hunter Charlie Vincent, the quest will extend beyond this level. After defeating a vampire assumed to be Dracula, the aerie begins to crumble. As they attempt to escape, Malus attacks them with a bow and arrow while mounted atop a demonic flying steed. After following him, the players see a horrific transformation: Malus ages, becoming an adult, and worse, a vampire. The vampire in the Castle Keep was Gilles de Rais disguised as the Count, while Malus is the true reincarnation of the Dark Lord.
After Dracula is defeated, his body transforms back into that of a child. Malus looks around and wonders what happened, seemingly oblivious to the events that just transpired. As the player moves to help him, Charlie Vincent arrives on the scene and douses the child with holy water. Malus writhes in pain when exposed to the blessed substance. Vincent explains that the child is not possessed, but is a master of deception. Malus transports the player to an alternate dimension for a final battle in which he is ultimately defeated.
If the player does not reach the Castle Keep in time, Charlie Vincent will be caught and vampirized by de Rais, forcing the player to defeat him in battle. Without Vincent's assistance, the hero fails in their mission: they are fooled by Malus' act and rescue the boy instead of destroying him.
Even though Malus does not have to be fought in his child form, the player is forced to fight his "other" true form, Dracula.
Trivia
- The Latin word malus means "evil". It is also the root of the word "malice".
- After saving her from an attempted suicide and then refusing to slay her, Rosa calls Reinhardt "soft" for not bringing himself to kill a vampire in the shape of a child, and wonders how he could ever hope to stand up to Dracula. This is possibly a hint to Dracula being disguised as the child Malus.
- Malus was the first reincarnation of Dracula adopting a different persona before Soma Cruz (although both characters exist in different timelines).
Footnotes
- ↑ It is unknown if Malus/Dracula is truly dead at the end of Castlevania, as no other game belonging to this timeline was released.