Protection spell (Brittonic)

"It bloody worked." "What bloody worked?" "The protection spell I cast on you at the bar."

- John Constantine and Chas Chandler

A protection spell has been developed by the wizard Merlin to give a person additional chances to rise back from the dead for a number of times based on the souls of people that died around them when the spell was cast. It was used by John Constantine on Chas Chandler.

Overview
The spell's incantation is in Brittonic, the language of the ancient Britons of the Kingdom of Camelot. It works in such a way that if people die around the person affected by the spell in a little while after the spell is cast, their souls will be bound to the affected person, giving them additional chances in life.

History
The spell was developed by Merlin during the times of ancient Camelot. According to John Constantine, was used to protect King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table from death, so that if any Knight of the Round Table under that spell was killed in the company of lesser knights, he would absorb all the lives of those around him, giving him additional chances to survive. Additional details are unclear, but presumably the spell compels a person to risk their lives to save others, else the burden of souls becomes too hard for them to live with.

During their early adventures together, John Constantine and Chas Chandler were at a Lillian Axe concert at Pool Hall. John, heavily intoxicated, noticed that Chas didn't look so good, and performed the protection spell on him while drunk, not really expecting it to work. When a fire started in the Pool Hall, it took lives of the 48 people, including Chas, who tried to save a few panicking attendees of the concert. However, Chas has risen after his death, healing burns, injuries and broken bones overnight. When he told about it to John, the other man explained the details of the spell. Burdened with the new lives, Chas started actively assisting John in his adventures, leading to Renee Chandler's anger, as she felt that her husband broke her trust and threatened to leave him together with their daughter. Chas asked John to dispell the protection spell, but John could only apologize in return, saying that he tried, but wasn't able to find a proper dispelling. He's given Chas a choice: either shoulder this burden, let it consume him from within, or use it against evil and fulfill the bound souls' destinies.

Known users

 * Merlin
 * John Constantine

Known affected

 * King Arthur
 * Chas Chandler
 * Knights of the Round Table

Behind the scenes

 * Considering that the spell was supposed to be cast on all Knights of the Round Table, it is possible that it was cast on Galahad, allowing him to rise after his presumed death at the hands of mind-controlled Arthur.