Sealing them up and locking them away. It's a little bit like repressing bad memories or feelings you don't want to feel anymore. And that's sort of what that nightmarish shadowy entity is to Wilhelm: an outgrowth of those crushing feelings.

"That's admirable of you," he says without a trace of sarcasm. He feels a share of that guilt, for not being able to help more. But he's not sure if he feels the same drive to improve. The thought of dedicating himself to too much of anything is a little overwhelming.

"Hey, if that book is making you go cross-eyed," he says, fishing a scrap of paper out of his pocket and waving it a bit to draw Mat's attention, "you could help me find all these weird ingredients. They're for...something to do with the spell."

That's as detailed of an explanation as he's equipped to provide. Somebody had scribbled down the list of spell components and passed it to him, and that was all. It's not in his job description to understand what's happening.