“Woah.”

Namjoon finally got his hands on the protection charm that saved both his and Seokjin’s lives. He’s in the corner of his tiny apartment that serves as a magic workshop. Seokjin was reluctant to part with the little bag, but was convinced by Namjoon’s promise to only replace the charm.

To his surprise, when he opened the bag and carefully slid the magnolia leaf packet onto a sheet of non-reactive paper, the bundle was shriveled to about half the size.

The magnolia leaves are not just brown and stiff, they’re solid black. The strip of prairie stage stem used to tie it packet together crumbles at the slight movement.  Namjoon carefully pulls the outside leaves apart with tweezers. It’s impossible: bits of charred leaf break off in a shower of brittle flakes. He systematically breaks off pieces until the inside is revealed.

“Woah.”

The heather blossoms, bamboo slivers, and hawk feather barbs have disintegrated into a fine, black ash.

There is another square of paper prepared to hold the remains of the charm. Namjoon gently tips the ash onto the paper. The more substantial pieces of agate and quartz come out last to sit on the top of the little sooty pile. He picks up a chunk of quartz and gently squeezes it between his fingers. The rock, a twist of black and splotchy gray, crumbles under the light pressure.

Namjoon has never seen a charm so devastated after the magic’s been used up. Every drop of life and magic that was ever in those plants and stones was drained, almost instantaneously and with an overwhelmingly destructive result.

He wipes his hands off and slumps back into his chair.

It shouldn’t be so surprising. The spell went as far as to consider protecting Namjoon to be an essential part of protecting Seokjin. That’s on top of the fact that a protection charm teleporting someone is unheard of.

Namjoon folds the paper packet of ash into a square and tapes it closed. The whole thing is placed inside a small pewter box. He’ll let his overly sentimental boyfriend have it.

The burlap bag, which is usually non-reactive, now buzzes slightly with a magic charge. The fibers are long dead, but they hum when he touches it. He plans on making another protection charm using the same bag since it’s already keyed into Seokjin.

There’s something about them, them together, that the magic likes. And really, who is he to argue?