~Once Upon a Skephalo~

~Chapter 17~

Bad sat amongst piles of books, his brow furrowed as he scoured the pages of perhaps his twentieth one. He had researched everything he could think of that might be of use: sleeping spells, spell reversals, sleeping potions and cures. Most of them didn't seem very helpful. Spifey had said the magic was in Skeppy's lungs, which meant he had inhaled it. None of the books he had read so far mentioned sleeping powders, except for a few that only mentioned how dangerous they could be and warned against using them because of how easily the user could inhale them. He hadn't found anything detailing the cure for such substances.

With a small growl of annoyance, Bad closed the book he was reading and set it aside, grabbing the next one. He flipped to the table of contents, scanning the chapters. Cures: How to Cure a Hex, Incurable Diseases, Ingredients for Cures, Magical Cures vs Natural Cures, The One and Only Cure-all --

'The one and only cure-all'? That sounded like exactly what Bad needed! He eagerly flipped to the correct page and began reading,

While not all spells and potions have designated antidotes, there is one thing that can cure any magical ailment. Most magic can be overpowered by stronger magical forces - this rule founded the discovery of many known solutions to magic gone wrong. However, there is one force that can overpower any other magic - the power of true love.

Bad stopped reading at the words "true love". He should've known better. Of course it wouldn't give him actually useful information! He buried his face in his hands, fingers digging into his hair. At this rate, he would never save Skeppy. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes, and he sniffed as he stared at the page through his blurry vision. Was there really no other choice but to find Skeppy's soulmate? How would he even manage that? Would he just have to ask everyone he met to kiss Skeppy until the diamond boy finally woke up? No, no, he couldn't do that. He just- couldn't. There had to be another way. There had to be.

Filled with a stubborn determination, Bad wiped his cheeks and grabbed his basket, standing up and walking out of the library. Spifey hadn't been willing to help him before... but Spifey wasn't the only strong magic user around. There were stories of a powerful sorcerer that lived deep in the woods. Many lost travelers had supposedly stumbled across his lair, returning with fearful tales of the things they had witnessed before they barely escaped with their lives. The same sorcerer had been suspected as the cause for several missing children in recent years, though there was no real proof to back any of the claims. 

Bad would never call himself superstitious, but he had always heeded the warnings of those who were, and avoided the patch of forest just beyond the village. Today, however, he hoped to find the very sorcerer that so many others feared, and hopefully bargain for the man's help.

He stepped up to the treeline, staring at the gnarled trunks and thick canopy. Shadows covered the ground below, and somewhere in the distance he thought he could hear the cawing of a crow. With a slight shiver, he stepped forward, basket clutched tightly in his hands. For Skeppy, he thought, reminding himself of his purpose.

As Bad set off into the woods, the magic book at the library had been left open, its ink smudged from his tears. Perhaps if he had read just a bit further, all this trouble could've been avoided.

While not all sp---- --- ------s have designated antidotes, there is one thing that can cure any magical ailment. Most magic can be overpowered by stronger ------- ------ - this rule founded the dis---ery of many known sol------ to magic gone wrong. However, there is one force that can over----r any other magic - the power of true love. True love is fou-- --tween a set of soulmates, and must be r----ned by all p-----e in the set for the full mag---- ---ect. If any perso- -- ---ivious to their love, the magic will be muc- ---- --tent. For full poten---, ---ure that all sou------ --- --are of their lo-- --- --ch other.

~~~

Skeppy stretched, yawning as he sat up in bed. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, admiring the evening sun that casted an orange glow on the room. That nap had been wonderful, but geez - how long had he slept for?! When he looked through the window, he could see the sun low in the sky. Had Bad really let him sleep so late? He tossed the blankets aside and walked to the kitchen, spotting a figure at the table.

"Baddddd, why'd you let me sleep so late? I had stuff I wanted to do today!" Skeppy whined, trudging over to a basket of fruit on the counter beside the pantry and grabbing an apple. He turned back to the table, taking a bite of the apple when he froze. "Wait, you're not Bad," he said, his words muffled through the chunk of fruit in his mouth.

"Yeah, and you're not supposed to be awake," Sapnap countered. "Bad said techno used magic on you or whatever, and asked me to come watch after you while he went looking for something to wake you up."

Skeppy blinked blankly, thinking for a moment as he chewed his apple. "Oh, yeah... I guess that did happen!" He took a seat at the table. "Yeah, some guy came by and tried to sell me his peanut butter or something, and when I went to try a sample, I think I passed out," He shrugged. "So when is Bad supposed to be back?"

Sapnap shrugged, "I don't know, he didn't say." He glanced at the front door. "It'll be nighttime soon, though, so he'll probably be here any minute." He turned back to Skeppy. "In the meantime, wanna play cards?" He grinned, pulling a deck from his pocket.

"Sure," Skeppy smiled. "You'll have to teach me, though."

"It's easy, you'll see." Sapnap began dealing out the cards.

They spent the rest of the evening playing various card games, losing track of time as Sapnap taught Skeppy the rules. By the time Skeppy won his first match, they realized that the sun had long since dipped below the horizon, and the sky had turned dark, still with no sign of Bad.

[Snow White Arc Continues...?]

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Hello, everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)

This chapter is also a little bit shorter than most, but right now it's easier for me to write shorter chapters. So, for now I'll probably keep chapters about this length (minimum 1000 words, but not much more). I hope you don't mind!

Also, I don't remember if I ever thanked you all for 1.5k+ reads, so just in case, thank you!!! I really appreciate all of your support <3

I love you all, and have a wonderful day!