A period of time in Valen’s timeline, when Valen locked himself inside his room. It takes place right after Michi’s passing (mid War era) and goes on until early spring in (!).
His usual activities include: music making, social media scrolling, forum browsing and sleeping.
For a few days, Michi was not going to school. Out of curiosity, Valen decided to sneak to her home, through the window at evening, only to discover Michi's body laying there.
After such event, Valen shuts himself inside of his room out of fear, that he caused this situation. He believed that if he exited out of his home, he would cause the same to happen to someone else. Valen's self esteem hit rock bottom and he would often refer to himself as "a monster" and did not consider himself human-like.
As a coping mechanism and a way to stay mentally stable, Valen created music under an anonymous label. However, one could not even consider most of it music, since the songs appeared to be random noises or sound effects composed into one track. To Valen's mind, music has no limits or strict rules.
Later on, Valen got used to making comprehensive music and took a more hyperpop and electronic genre approach. His obscure account gained traction, with the small following enjoying his creations. The songs included themes of partying, sexual activity, seeking out the fun in life and overall portraying himself as an active party-goer, even if he never went out of his home. He used to cope this way, imagining himself in social surroundings as he desperately tried to distract himself from his current state.
tw obvious self harm
One way to deal with the grief, Valen harmed himself and his body. He did not eat as a punishment or scratched himself. Valen already had slight body image issues as Michi would comment about him not fitting inside his unit attire at times, so starevation was Valen's attempt at trying to prove himself to Michi.
His eating issues only worsened as he returned to Yumenosaki after the Hiatus. Valen was afraid to eat near other people as he thought that everyone silently judged him for it. He had a fear of gaining back his usual form and actively avoided evoking it. During the early AD★RE stages, he pushed himself to exercise more and implemented flashy choreography into his performances, which sometimes resulted him in passing out due to the energy rush.
As Valen was still stuck in his room, one of Eternal Sleep's fans, Ryota, reached out to him. He was confused about the absence of Valen and Michi in Yumenosaki. Valen was hesitant at first to reveal the whole situation, however he trusted Ryota enough and spoke out about it.
Through many weeks and days, Valen and Ryota chatted, creating a stronger bond between each other as Ryota encouraged Valen to step out and proceed with life instead of rotting inside for all of eternity. Step by step, Valen mustered the courage to return to Yumenosaki. Rebranding the unit, Valen invites Ryota to be the second member of AD★RE.
Even til this day, he appreciates and cherishes Ryota for pushing him past his boundaries and dragging him out to continue with life.
Time period Mid War Era - early (!)