Before the Spiral chose its next bearer... it whispered to a dreamwalker.

Quentin Flax has always been quiet-an observer. A student of House Halcyon. But when he begins slipping into dreams not his own, he uncovers a secret buried deep beneath Thornridge Academy: the return of a forbidden force known only as the Spiral.

The Aetherbound Order has sealed away its mistakes. Quentin just opened one.

As he dives deeper into the dream-realm known as the Veil, Quentin begins to unravel more than old myths-students are vanishing, memories are shifting, and a fellow classmate is using Spiral-born power to reshape reality itself.

To stop her, Quentin must master a gift that could break his mind-or remake the world.

But in a school built on balance, one truth becomes terrifyingly clear:

The Spiral doesn't choose heroes. It chooses those willing to be changed.

A gripping, magical prequel to The Aetherbound Order, full of haunting truths, memory-twisting magic, and the origin of a power no one was ever meant to control.

Perfect for fans of A Deadly Education, The Atlas Six, Shadow and Bone, and Keeper of the Lost Cities.