The Sandman: The Dream Hunters #3 cover

Previously in The Sandman: The Dream Hunters: Onmyogi, bound on killing the young monk in order to gain his strength, attempts to do so through dreams. Within each of these dreams the monk receives a different gift: a box, and then a key. In the third dream, he is supposed to open the box with the key, and upon doing so, will die. However, the fox, aware of Onmyogi’s plan, attempts to save the monk – sacrificing herself in the process.

Upon waking from the third dream unharmed, the monk finds the fox lying unconscious on the front steps of the temple. He leaves the temple to get help at the nearest village, but is stopped by Binzaru Harada disguised as an elderly man. He explains to the monk that he must return to the temple with the fox and sleep with a  token of the King of all Nights’ Dreaming for it is in dreams that the fox is trapped. With that, the monk returns to his temple, places the token – a slip of paper – beneath his head and falls asleep with the fox.

**Spoilers after the break**

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