I'm trying Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

[a babyass man]

Okay, I'm stumped. I got to the part where I'm at the broken stairway by the clocktower. If I jump down, it just brings me way back to another part of the castle. Am I supposed to backtrack to find something, or is there a way to cross this thing?

the top of the stairs is dracula's room, but if you just got to the staircase you have a good three to four hours of game left