In a world where dreams can be weaponized, Vanessa has spent her life suppressing the one she carries inside-a dark and terrifying power her father calls the Oneiroi Shade, a weaver of nightmares. Hidden away in the desolate Shale Barrens, her only focus is protecting her younger sister, Lillian, the one spot of light in their dust-choked existence. But when a desperate Lillian flees to the glittering, lethal capital of Veridia to compete in the legendary Morphean Gauntlet, Vanessa has no choice but to follow her into the heart of a gilded nightmare.

Upon arrival, Vanessa discovers a horrifying truth that twists the very nature of her quest: Lillian is not a contestant in the deadly game. She is the grand prize. Now, to save her sister from being claimed as a living trophy by the victor, Vanessa must enter the Gauntlet herself. Thrust into the Phantasmal Coil-a shared dreamscape where reality is fluid and every fear is given monstrous form-she is surrounded by scheming nobles, ruthless killers, and the enigmatic, brutal Champion who seems to see the shadow she keeps locked away.

To survive, Vanessa must unleash the very power she has feared her entire life. In a dystopian society built on stolen dreams, she must become the monster everyone is afraid of. Navigating a web of betrayal and forming an alliance with the last person she ever expected, she will discover that the only way to save her sister is to unravel the dark secrets at the heart of the empire, even if it means burning the entire world to the ground.