Cornell
From Castlevania Wiki - Forbidden Library
| Cornell | |
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| Japanese name | Cornell |
| Appearance(s) | 1844:Castlevania Judgment |
| Role(s) | Man-beast |
| Weapon of Choice | Claws, sub-weapons |
| Abilities | Bestial powers, martial arts |
| Voice Actor(s) | |
| Seiyuu(s) | |
| Music Theme(s) | The Wolf Revealed |
| Gender | Male |
Cornell (also known as Blue Cresent Moon) is a man-beast from the 19th century and the only one of his kind who is able to control his bestial power. He, unlike most of his fellow kin, has the ability to break the ancient man-beast seal, and at will, assume the shape of an animal that lingers inside his body. His martial arts is said to be invincible.
Contents |
Story
Before Castlevania
An ancient curse once befell a tribe of warriors, turning all it's people into beasts. The members of the tribe preferred to live harmoniously with normal humans and decided to seal their power away by trapping their bestial alter-egos inside their bodies. However, they could still take the shape of an animal, but were not able to control this amazing power and they and their descendants were doomed to live with the curse for eternity.
Cornell was born with man-beast blood and grew up with his best friend, Ortega, in a small village in the province of Wallachia. They trained in martial arts and eventually became recognized as some of the strongest members of the tribe. Cornell and Ortega were both able to unleash their powers, but Cornell was the only one who was able to gain mastery over his transformation.
Before Cornell was able to do this, he and his fellow tribesmen were taken over by the ancient curse one night. They succumbed to madness and attacked a nearby village, destroying and slaughtering everything in sight. There were no survivors, save for a young infant who was found by Cornell after he regained sanity. Cornell, who had great regrets over his actions, adopted her as his little sister and called her Ada. They lived in Cornell's village, and in order to safeguard her, he gave Ada a pendant which granted her protection from man-beasts.
Through severe training, Cornell was able to control his bestial form, causing frustration in Ortega. Although he and Cornell were excellent warriors, Cornell was able to do things slightly better than Ortega. Eventually, Ortega challenged his friend to duel, but lost, which severed their friendship.
Because of his great accomplishments, Cornell earned the name Blue Crescent Moon, but his new-found power and fame would soon draw the attention of dark forces. One night, Cornell was approached by the vampire countess Carmilla, who offered him to join the ranks of Dracula's army, but he refused time and time again.
One day, Cornell was outside the village doing his routine training when suddenly his powers ran amok. He passed out, and when he regained consciousness, a strange man stood before him.
Events of Judgment
Cornell realised that he had transformed into his wolf form, but was unable to change back to his human shape. He was approached by a stranger who introduced himself as Aeon and welcomed Cornell to a rift in time. Cornell then understood that it was because of the time rift that he was unable to return to his human form. Aeon confirmed this and explained that this was the place where he may find an answer he sought. Yet, there were many trials he had to pass in order to achieve it. His first test was to defeat Aeon, in which he succeeded.
Cornell faced many opponents he never heard of, one of them was the sorceress Sypha Belnades, who was blinded by her oath to cleanse all who were tainted by darkness. Although Cornell had no intention to cause any harm, Sypha ignored Cornell's pleas for something that could cure him of his curse. She said that his curse has been in the world since ancient times and that nothing could be done, save for death. The two battled and Cornell came out victorious, which allowed him to continue seeking his answer.
Eventually, Cornell faced the vampire countess Carmilla, who asked him to join the ranks of Dracula's legions. The man-beast said that he had no interest in fighting her. The vampire asked if he was sure, as she heard that the soul reaper, Death, may have the answer to Cornell's redemption. However, Carmilla had no intention of letting him pass and the two engaged in battle, which resulted in another victory for Cornell.
After a while, the man-beast finally found Death and asked him if he knew anything about the curse that had been tormenting him. Death said that with the dark arts he commanded, Cornell's affliction could be redeemed. Death then offered Cornell to come with him, but the werewolf refused, as he didn't trust the divine being and vowed that he would find a way of his own. Due to his efforts, Cornell triumphed over Death and regained his fate in solution to his torment.
Aeon obtained another soul key and came a step closer to his goal, and Cornell returned to his own time period, regaining his original form as a result. However, having come no closer to finding a true cure, he headed home in despair where great tragedy awaited him.
Events of Legacy of Darkness
Cornell returned to his village to find it demolished and plundered by evil beings. He quickly headed to his own house, but found no trace of his sister and realised that she must have been kidnapped. He found her pendant lying on the ground and followed her scent to Dracula's Castle.
Cornell reached the castle gates where he found Ortega and quickly asked if he was unharmed. Ortega was acting different from his normal self and didn't seem to care much about what happened, resulting in Cornell doubting if he really was his best friend. The man-beast asked if this was true, but Ortega ignored his question and remarked that it had been one year since he had lost to Cornell in a duel. Cornell, confused, asked what he was getting at, and much to his horror, his friend responded by saying that Ada would make a perfect sacrifice for Dracula. Cornell said that Ortega was out of his mind, as Dracula wouldn't return until quite some time. Cornell then bombarded Ortega with questions about the recent happenings. Ortega ignored them and said that Cornell would find out what was happening soon enough, after which he disappeared into the castle.
While wandering the castle grounds, Cornell stumbled upon an old and seemingly abandoned villa. When finding his way through the place, he encountered a man who was trying to get to his wife, Mary, saying that he needed a drink because he was thirsty. However, she barricaded herself in her bedroom and refused to let him in. When the man noticed Cornell, he explained that he and his wife had a domestic problem and that they were trying to work it out. He asked the man-beast to leave, but Cornell quickly explained that he was looking for his sister, Ada. The man said he didn't know anyone by that name, but Cornell didn't believe this and he could still smell her scent lingering in the air. This was shrugged off by the man, who remarked that he was still thirsty and that Cornell would do just nicely. The man then revealed himself as a vampire. The man-beast quickly defeated the vampire and entered the room where Mary resided.
The woman told Cornell that two vampires named Gilles de Rais and Actrise were responsible for siring her husband, which caused him to go after her and her son, Henry. She was thinking of taking her own life, but she couldn't bare the thought of leaving her son alone and thus requested that the man-beast find and bring him to safety. In addition, Mary told Cornell that Henry was hiding in the mansion's garden, where a secret path could be found, which led to the nearest village.
Cornell then headed to the maze garden, but before leaving the mansion, he stumbled on a contract laying on the floor. Suddenly, a man appeared behind him who asked if he might have seen a scroll around there. Cornell handed him the contract and the man introduced himself as Renon. Renon offhandedly referred to himself as a demon, but when he noticed the man-beast's surprise, he quickly explained that he was there to help by providing items in exchange for a price. The demon salesman said that when the need would arise, Cornell could use the scroll to summon him, and then disappeared.
While in the maze garden, Cornell smelled the scent of a human child and suddenly noticed a child running toward him. The child confirmed that his name was Henry and Cornell told him he was there to help him escape because Mary asked him to. Once Henry was brought to safety, the man-beast gave him Ada's pendent and explained that the wolves would protect him if he would wear it. After seeing the child off, he returned to Mary. In gratitude, she gave him a key that would allow him entry to an underground passageway that led to Dracula's castle.
Within it's dark depths, he was suddenly ambushed by Gilles de Rais, but the vampire was quickly overpowered due to Cornell's superior combat skills. The vampire collapsed on his knees and uttered that Cornell was indeed not a mere man-beast. Out of nowhere, Actrise appeared, and the two vampires agreed that Cornell would put up an excellent fight against their master, Dracula. They then vanished, leaving Cornell unsure of their intentions.
Cornell reached the Duel Tower where he was suddenly knocked down by a gigantic wolf. When he recovered, he noticed Ortega standing nearby and asked what he was trying to do. His former friend explained that the creature who stood before Cornell was a man-beast who was unable to break the seal and gain control over his transformation. Dracula was who broke the seal, and as a result, the man-beast had gained far more power then he could handle. Ortega then walked away, saying that he would wait for Cornell if he was able to overcome this challenge. After defeating the creature, Cornell continued his quest for his missing sister.
He reached the top of one of the castle's towers, where he suddenly felt a presence behind him. It turned out to be Ortega, who commented that his rival had already lost before the fight even began. He said that Cornell always kept his promises, and that he knew that he would come in order to settle the (one-sided) rivalry once and for all. Ortega further explained why he was so jealous of Cornell and asked why he cared for Ada so much. The man-beast said that was none of his business, but was shocked when he learned that the rites for Ada's sacrifice had already begun. Ortega slowly started to change into his beast form and said that if Cornell was planning on rescuing his sister, he better hurry, or else he would run out of time. However, they still had a score to settle and the two engaged in battle. Despite Ortega's efforts, he was eventually defeated and fell to his knees. He then admitted that he was no match for his former friend, and said that he had no more regrets after fighting him. Ortega pleaded to Cornell to save Ada before suddenly losing control of his bestial powers. He told Cornell to run away, as he would surely die if he stayed longer, and then threw himself from the castle's walls, thus ending his life.
Cornell learned from Ortega that Ada was kept in the Clock Tower and rushed to its peak, where he found her laying unconscious. He woke her up and was about to take her home when suddenly a flying sickle came soaring in from afar and separated them. It was Death who interfered. He had been searching for Ada for a while because her absence almost ruined the timing needed for the ritual. After trapping Ada in a crystal, the two faded way. Cornell then headed to the Castle Keep as he quickly as he could in order to save Ada from being sacrificed.
He had almost reached the doors that lead to Dracula's Throne Room when Renon appeared from the shadows. He announced that he was about to take his leave, but there was a still a small business matter that he had with the man-beast. He asked Cornell if he had ever read the contract he used in order to buy the goods Renon sold. Renon explained that he had signed a contract with the devil, and because Cornell had spent over 30,000 gold pieces, Cornell was forced to give up his soul. The demon salesman revealed his true form and was planning on dragging Cornell to the underworld, but his plan was thwarted.
Upon reaching the Throne Room, Cornell noticed the giant crystal in which Ada was trapped, and tried to free her from it. The Dark Lord Dracula himself made his entrance and applauded the man-beast for making it that far. The two dueled, and after a hard-fought battle, Cornell was able to bring Dracula down. After his defeat, Dracula tried to drag Cornell's sister with him as a last act of revenge. Harnessing all of his strength, Cornell sacrificed the spirit of his wolf form in order to smash the crystal and save his sister therein, the wolf's spirit was effectively substituted as her replacement, finally freeing Cornell from the man-beast curse. A maniacally laughing Dracula then revealed that he achieved his true objective. Puzzled by his words, Cornell and Ada watched on as Dracula was vanquished completely. With Ada, Cornell escaped the castle and made it to the confines of the surrounding woodland.
They met up with Henry, who, thanks to Ada's pendant, hadn't run into any evil beings. While on their way home, the three decided to make up their camp and rest for the remainder of the night. They made a campfire, and as the youths were conversing, Cornell had fallen into deep thought, recalling his last moments with Ortega. Suddenly, he was snapped out of it by Ada, who told him that he shouldn't worry. Although they weren't related by blood, together they could do anything. Cornell was shocked that Ada knew that which he had been hiding from her for many years, but she discovered it a long time ago. Their resolve was to build their lives again and make a new beginning together.
Image Gallery
Cornell from Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (1999) |
 Cornell from Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness (1999) |
 Cornell from Castlevania Judgment (2008) |
 Cornell from the Ultimate Judge Guide Book (2009) |
Trivia
- Cornell was originally slated to appear in Castlevania 64 as a prisoner of Dracula's, with the same powers he has in Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness. Due to time constraints, the idea ultimately got scrapped.
- Cornell's voice actors are John Nuzzo (Legacy) and Paul St. Peter (Judgment).