The Sandman Omnibus Vol. 1

Dream tells Rose the truth about her nature and reveals that he needs to kill her to protect the dream world. In a conversation with Matthew, Gilbert reveals that he is Fiddler’s Green, one of the entities that has gone missing from the Dreaming, and when he finds Dream and Rose, Dream recognizes him immediately. Gilbert offers his life instead of Rose’s, but Dream tells him it is not possible. Elsewhere, Miranda sits with Unity at her deathbed. Unity falls asleep and joins Rose in the dreamworld, where she reveals that she was meant to be the dream vortex all along. Because of Dream’s imprisonment, the vortex passed through her bloodline to Rose. Rose removes the thing that makes her the vortex, which resembles a red, cut-glass heart. Unity takes back the vortex and dies in Rose’s place. Dream sends Rose back home and tells her that he will bring her brother back from the edge of the Dreaming because her family has suffered enough.

Six months later, Rose has moved in with her mother and Jed and is recreating herself. Meanwhile, Dream visits Desire and questions them about Unity and Rose. He deduces that Rose’s grandfather was Desire and that Desire (who uses they/them pronouns) was setting him up to take a member of his own family, which would have had dire consequences. He then reminds Desire that the Endless are toys of living things and tells them if they mettle in Dream’s affairs again he, Death, and Destiny will come for them.

A struggling author named Richard Madoc bargains to gain the Greek muse Calliope from a successful but aging writer. Her previous master gives her to him. Richard takes Calliope home and sexually assaults her, which provides him with her inspiration to begin his second novel. Calliope calls on the three Fates, but they’re unable to help her because she was lawfully captured by the previous writer, and she was his to bargain with. The Fates mull over the situation and recall that one of the Endless might be able to help Calliope and suggest Dream in particular might be convinced. They recall that Calliope and Dream were close once and that she bore him a son who chose to go to Hades to retrieve his lover but was killed by the Sisters of the Frenzy.

Calliope resists the idea of Dream’s help, since they now hate each other, but she eventually concedes that she will take anyone’s help, even Dream’s. Over the years, Richard becomes richer and more famous, finding success everywhere he goes. Dream, following his escape, goes to see Calliope. When Richard returns home from a talk show appearance, Dream greets him and demands Calliope’s release. Richard refuses to free her, so as punishment Dream gives Richard an overflow of inspiration that begins to drive him mad.

Finally, Richard releases Calliope, and Calliope thanks Dream for his help. She notes that Dream has changed, and he tells her he has learned a lot recently and that he no longer hates her. Calliope suggests that she visit him in the Dreaming, but they both agree it wouldn’t be a good idea. Calliope and Dream go their separate ways.

A kitten and an older cat go walking together at night. They arrive at a cemetery where many other cats have gathered to listen to one cat speak. This cat tells them about her experience living with humans until she gave birth to a litter of kittens. The humans drowned her children, and the cat fell asleep praying for justice and wisdom. There, she meets Dream in cat form, who tells her that in times gone by cats ruled the world, but humans banded together and dreamed a different world. The cat wakes up and travels far and wide, bringing the story to different cats in hope that they can all dream a better world for them again.

In the 16th century, Shakespeare and his players prepare to put on a showing of A Midsummer Night’s Dream on an open field. Dream arrives and alludes to a deal made in exchange for two plays, of which this is the first. The audience arrives, which consists of the Faerie court. The players perform in front of Auberon, Titania, and their people. Offstage, Shakespeare’s son Hamnet laments his father’s lack of attention. As they watch the play, Dream speaks with Titania about his deal with Shakespeare. He tells the Faerie king and queen that he wanted them to be remembered throughout time. The next morning, the players awake alone, and the faerie gold they had been given has turned to flowers. They feel the performance was a triumph anyway and continue on their way.

Rainie, whose full name is Urania Blackwell and was once Element Girl of DC Comics, sits alone in her apartment and speaks to a familiar worker at the CIA—which is referred to simply as “the company”—on the phone. After spending the night alone, an old colleague calls and asks her to meet for lunch. Eager for the company, Rainie agrees. She dreams of her experience with the Egyptian god Ra and her transformation into one of the metamorphae. The god used her body as mortal clay and changed her into a being who can manipulate the elements of the earth as part of the army he was building against the serpent god Apep. When Rainie goes to meet her old friend, she wears a silicate face and hair from fine metals to cover her deformities. However, her face falls off during lunch, and she runs away. Back at home, Rainie is distraught and frustrated because she wishes to die, but she doesn’t know how because her body metabolizes everything that would harm a regular human.

Death had an appointment in the apartment above and heard Rainie crying as she passed, so she comes in to see if Rainie is okay. Death tells her that Ra’s unending battle is long since over and recommends Rainie go directly to Ra for help. Rainie addresses the sun as Ra and asks to be normal again. Ra speaks to her and tells her to look at the sun. When she does, she is turned into a pillar of dust with a joyful smile on its face, then the dust is blown away.