You begin waking up exhausted, though you remember no dreams. Small objects in your home are slightly out of place (cups rotated 180°, books moved to lower shelves).
You start having a recurring dream: you are standing in an endless black ballroom. Chandeliers made of bone hang from nothing. The Nightmaretaker stands across the room, motionless. He never approaches — but each night, he is closer.
But the most disturbing detail: When you see him, it is always from the corner of your vision. If you turn to face him directly, he is gone — but you will feel his breath on the back of your neck, even if you are alone in a locked room. III. The Possession Mechanism The Nightmaretaker does not possess a person in the violent, exorcist-movie sense. Instead, he replaces your dreams slowly, over weeks or months.