The Waking Wilds

The city of Aethel exists in a perpetual twilight, a fragile balance between dream and reality maintained by the Crystal Keepers, an ancient order who harvest the city’s subconscious fears and forgotten memories.  But the shimmering crystal vaults, once a bulwark against the volatile dream world, are fracturing.  Nightmarish visions bleed into the waking world, twisting familiar streets into alien landscapes and whispering forgotten languages on the wind.
Elara Hastings, plagued by disturbingly vivid dreams, is dismissed by the Keepers.  Desperate, she seeks out Rhys Merriweather, a rogue Keeper ostracized for his forbidden knowledge. He reveals a chilling truth: the dreams are fragments of a world intentionally erased, a world now fighting to reclaim its existence.  These escaped memories manifest as tangible dream-scapes, overlaying Aethel and threatening to erode its foundations.
Bound by duty and a growing connection to Elara, Rhys guides her through the increasingly unstable city.  They encounter others touched by the escaping dreams: Deanna, an archivist haunted by burning libraries, and Justin, a clockmaker whose intricate creations now mirror the distorted flow of dream-time.  Elara and Rhys realize these individuals aren't victims, but conduits, each linked to a fragment of the erased past.
Elara’s dreams intensify, revealing she’s not just a witness, but integral to the rebellion. The whispers coalesce into a name: Nira, the original dreamer, trapped within the Dream Nexus, orchestrating her world’s return.  To save Aethel, Elara must confront Nira, a journey requiring a devastating sacrifice: relinquishing her own memories.
Within the Nexus, a kaleidoscope of fractured memories, Elara confronts not a monster, but a woman consumed by grief and rage.  Stripped of her own recollections, Elara connects with Nira through empathy, sharing the pain of loss and the hope of a future, however imperfect.
Their struggle isn't a battle but a clash of wills, a choice between forgetting and remembering.  Can Elara convince Nira that the present, while flawed, is worth preserving?  Or will Aethel succumb to the seductive embrace of a forgotten dream?