The winter solstice and the weeks following it were usually the most tense and the most beneficial time for the embattled humanity. That was, of course, because Sleepers entered the Dream Realm for the first time on that day.
The Awakened warriors guarding the Citadels ventured into the wilderness to help them reach safety, which at times resulted in casualties among rescue parties and increased pressure on the weakened garrison forces. As a reward, however, the number of Awakened capable of defending humanity swelled, with new recruits joining the seasoned veterans and lending their strength to that solemn duty.
Familiar ways were slowly changing over the past few years, since there were more Sleepers who challenged the First Nightmare from within the Dream Realm, and those Sleepers who had conquered it in the waking world had more ways to enter the Dream Realm and tether themselves to a Citadel in advance — but the old challenges of the winter solstice still persisted.
