once upon a time, an ancient sorceress broke tradition and fell in love with a mortal. through their coupling a ritual was cast, igniting thirteen sparks that were reforged into brilliant crystal cocoons, each fed by the love between these two beings. amidst the height of the spell, tragedy struck. the mortal was killed by their own kin. their half of the connection withered and died, opening a wound that was filled by the flow of hedonism and lust from the beings of earth. while twelve of the developing beings encased in the chrysalidic web weakened, one thrived, leeching the energy from it's siblings to develop into maturing. the sole hatchling came to fruition. a little caterpillar, emerging fully cognitive and infused with venom.
in further analysis, valentino's relationship with love is complicated. they were created from a bond of love and therefore was originally designed to be a love demon prior to corruption. they were spawned corrupted and have always been inflicted by a certain imbalance that manifests emotionally, psychologically and through the use of their magic. many of their powers are akin to those that a love demon would posses, but the use of said powers can become incredibly toxic and caustic when misused.
val is entirely certain that he cannot love or be loved. everyone he has ever loved has gone mad from his pheromones. he can, indeed, love someone but that love often dissolves into possession and toxic attachment... due to various previous experiences. this is often enhanced by the effects of his pheromones, which do induce madness, paranoia and obsession in the victim if the connection is not entirely requited. effects that can backlash and effect val as well, depending on the intensity of the attachment. thus he strays away from forming deep attachments and often leverages manipulation to maintain control over his relationships.
