This story will cover aspects of mental illness, specifically OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder).
Slight variations will occur in order to allow for a smoother story. Examples variations such as a voice speaking into Val's head. That may happen for some people with OCD, but via personal experience with the illness, it's more of a signal that gets tossed to the consciousness, pre-packaged with all the necessary info.
Something to keep in mind is that OCD is NOT a rational illness. It is irrational 70% of the time. It will come up at times that you think it shouldn't. It will also not come up at times you think it damn well should. It's an irrational illness with small moments of rationality sprinkled in. I'm going to be incorporating that into this story as I'd like for as real of a representation of the illness as I can give in a fantasy story. So if you notice Val doing something that obviously puts himself in danger but his illness doesn't show up, that's why, OCD is inconsistent as fuck.
With that out of the way, enjoy.