She could've sworn she heard someone call her name. Mirrah turned her head once she crossed the threshold to the outdoors. A frown was plastered on her face half created by the weight of pointless objects hanging down her back. But what bothered her more was the fact that that voice that called out her name sounded like Wilhelm. No, she was absolutely sure it was Wilhelm. There was another sound that followed after. Like a soft splash.

"Wilhelm?" No response, Mirrah's heartbeat pounding in her throat. The suitcase on her back slid off of her shoulders, hitting the ground in a myriad of clattering sounds. "Wilhelm?"

She immediately took off towards the direction Wilhelm had last gone to. She could hear the slight dribble of the stream Phsara had pointed him towards, but even as she shouted Wilhelm's name, her charge did not shout back. Just as Mirrah rounded the corner of the hermit's house, she finally spotted him. He was beside the stream that wove its way into a cave against the cliff face. No, he wasn't beside the stream. He was face down in it and even from where Mirrah stood she could see the that the stream of water was being clogged by the limp body.

"Oh my God! WILHELM!" She practically flew towards Wilhelm, towards his body. The stream was minuscule and definitely not something anyone could drown in even if they wanted too. But having been close to drowning herself just a day or so earlier, even seeing someone partially enveloped in water stirred up a terror inside.

She dropped down to her knees as she neared Wilhelm, sliding the rest of the way by sheer momentum through the stream in a loud splash. Now that she could actually see Wilhelm's face, she noticed that the boy's mouth and nose were not flooded with stream water, rather the tilt of his head had left his airways mostly free. Still, that didn't stop Mirrah from scooping Wilhelm out from the stream and dragging him out onto the side of the river. Even after she had done that, the panic in her never waned the slightest. As she excavated the boy from the stream, moans began to ooze from his lips.

"Wilhelm, w-what's wrong?!" His eyelids were shut tight but his eyes were moving frantically underneath. She had never once in the entire time she had worked for Wilhelm seen him like this. This morning he seemed just like a drunkard waking at the morning sun with a hangover draped over his brain, but nothing even remotely suggested that he was sick! Or in pain!

And then she finally noticed it. Two rocks were pressed against his head. No, their shape was familiar. Two horns, two black curled horns were pressed against his head. Her eyes only widened as she noticed that even as Wilhelm's head rocked with his moans, the horns were following along. Like they were apart of his skull. "Oh my god...Wilhelm, what...Why are the horns--"

She did the first thing she could think of. Mirrah wrapped her hand around the horns, pressed the other against Wilhelm's shoulder, and pulled as hard as she could. His head twisted against her fingers but didn't even show any signs of detaching. Like she were pulling on his bones and his skull had no choice but to follow! Like a hand that was attached to the arm. Mirrah didn't try again. His persistent moans started to seem like she were causing him harm.

How any fake rock could do any person harm! They were fake weren't they?! There was no way the horns could attach itself to another living being...That was something out of a fairy tale! What, was it trying to tell her that it was real?! Like punishment for not believing in childish fantasies?! She shook Wilhelm's body fiercely, desperate to get through whatever trance he must've been in. It had to be a trick! She was his bodyguard for god's sake, couldn't she protect him from this too?!

"Wilhelm, please! Snap out of it! Tell me what's wrong!" Mirrah had to fight back the tears welling up in her eyes as she swung her head back towards the entrance of the hut. Through all the labored moans, Mirrah had to shout twice as loud. "SOMEONE, PLEASE HELP ME!"