The Strange Tale of Mr Valens Introduction; (Part 1)

Valens is a strange child indeed, and for those with ears that know how to listen, this story holds lessons of a most unusual kind. A dark and wooded realm far from the bustle of the city, where no worries stir save those that belong to Valens, and no bird takes flight save for the raven. And there is no thought that has not passed through his mind. In this land, even I am nothing more than a welcomed guest of Valens, no different than any of you.

Having stumbled upon one of those rare moments when Mister Valens opens the doors of his subconscious, it would be a betrayal to both him and myself to wander through this place without you. I would like to introduce you to Mister Valens, but no shape in my mind seems to offer a fitting reflection of who he truly is. For I have never seen another like him, nor wandered through a realm such as this. Yet somewhere far off in his mind, there exists a place, untouched by worry, where life has been lived freely.

His was not an escape from the reality of life, but rather a journey into another world shaped within the depths of his subconscious. And so the realm of Valens was born; behind the grey clouds, the shadowed forests, and the ravens gliding through the silence of night, lay the purest form of Mister Valens’s being. This was how he expressed himself.

Outwardly, he appeared joyful, understanding, well-mannered, highly educated, and kind a true gentleman in every sense. Yet he could never share his true feelings with anyone, save for those few he deeply loved. Everyone who knew him spoke of his calmness and quiet wisdom. But Mister Valens reserved his excitement and passions for only his closest companions and oftentimes, for no one at all. Some of those passions, too, were far darker than anyone would ever expect from him.

Of course, the realm of Valens was not made solely of sorrow and darkness. Beyond the shadows of this land, there lay a true light and a genuine sense of hope. For Mister Valens, this world was a kind of defense mechanism. Over the years, his subconscious had crafted this reflex to protect the essence of his being. But what exactly was it that Mister Valens was hiding, and whom was he defending it from? Against whom was this fierce struggle being waged?

As I said at the beginning of this tale, there was no one else in this land but him. Every battle he fought was a battle against himself. Was he trying to conceal his darker desires, or was he protesting the absence of passion in his lived experience? No one can say for certain. Perhaps, after all, Mister Valens did all of this simply to deepen and enrich the meaning of the life he was truly living.

For he had grown so weary of everything society had forced upon him that he no longer wished to hide his dark desires, his unsightly dreams, or the unique truths that made him who he was. He longed to express his inner reality freely. Only by shaping such a realm within his mind could he hope to preserve his sense of self.

Behind the shallow and hurried life that had been imposed upon him, he created a vast and wondrous world that belonged entirely to him. And naturally, with that world came certain figures characters who began to appear alongside it. Did these characters have counterparts in his real life, or were they simply imagined reflections of what he wished existed within his mind? We do not know. At least, not yet.

But if there is one thing we do know about Mister Valens, it is that there has always been a part of him drawn to darkness. At every stage of his life, even in the moments when he felt most at peace, a shadow would settle over him like a curse. In the beginning, he resented it. But over time, he learned to love this part of himself, to make peace with it.

Rather than fight against the darkness that clouded his mind, he surrendered to it and let himself fall into the solemn embrace of night. He began to hear the raven that visited his window each evening. The sense of surrender that wrapped itself around his soul had washed away all fear he once held of the dark. Was it concealing all his flaws, this darkness or revealing them? Was it the worries he should have feared, or the very fears that clung to his soul?

There are, of course, many questions in the realm of Valens still waiting to be answered. But why are we here? Is the dream of a strange man not a curious place to wander through? If you’ve stayed with us this far, then perhaps you carry a touch of strangeness yourself. And if you are ready, we may now begin one of the deepest journeys this realm has to offer.

A blue haze and a foggy night, as the black raven began whispering a few hushed syllables into his ear. Uneasy, uncanny, yet unafraid those vacant eyes always searched for an excuse to roam the shadowed woods. Call them the Lords of this realm if you wish, or simply a band of wandering minds lost in their own haze. A handful of misfits freed from the grip of doubt, drifting through the unknown with a strange dog at their side, weary in color and worn in soul.