The allergy is a magical aftereffect of triggering the "security system" that protects the Tomb of Chaos from intruders. After contacting this ailment, those infected emit a magnetized energy current that repels any magical creatures and even those who are affected by magic such as cursed individuals, and if infected beings quickly come within close contact of each other, they're blasted by a magnetic force that leaves an awful rash on the skin.
It was created by the Perfecti many thousands of years ago with the idea that only mortals would potentially contract it by attempting to break into the tomb. However, in 2021, the Vera-Vaughn Charmed Ones contracted the allergy after fusing Macy Vaughn's pendant that contained the Source with the Black Amber Tree in the Command Center, unintentionally blowing a hole in the Tomb of Chaos. A cure for the allergy was eventually created by Macy, using fetal cells from her sister Mel Vera's unborn baby.
History[]
Throughout the Series[]
The Vera-Vaughn Sisters Contract the Allergy[]
In "Triage", the Charmed Ones, on a mission to save magic, fused the Source with the black amber tree that powers the Command Center. After they selflessly sacrifice themselves, bringing about the dreaded "Destruction of the Sisterhood" by putting the pendant into the main source of magic, they attempt to embrace each other but are all blown back by a mysterious force.
In "You Can't Touch This", three months after the events that saved magic, the Charmed Ones have returned to somewhat of a normal life. As the sisters assemble in the foyer to wish each other well on their first day back in the “real” world, Harry Greenwood, filled with excitement over finding the rare moon poppy, orbs directly in between them, causing the allergy to blast them back. He apologizes to Macy Vaughn as she rubs aloe vera onto the itchy glowing rash, a side effect brought on by the allergy when infected beings come within close contact of each other. Macy, however, is not put off, and says that, with the moon poppy, they should no longer have any trouble with the allergy. Unfortunately, her attempt to cure the allergy with a blood cleansing potion failed, as the allergy was from before human civilization as they know it. At Harry's insistence, Macy tried to perform a revelation spell to find what the cause was, which led to them discovering an ancient stone tablet with unknown symbols inscribed across it.
In "Private Enemy No. 1", due to the allergy, Mel Vera was unable to get close to her girlfriend, Ruby, which threatened to drive a wedge between the two. They eventually managed to settle down and agree to come as close as the allergy allowed, letting them almost touch hands before the magnetic force would push them apart.
In "No Hablo Brujeria", when Jordan Chase finally got rid of his family curse, Macy was delighted to find that she could now touch him.
Attempting a Cure[]
After encountering Mo and Aladria in "Bruja-Ha", the two beings explained that the allergy was a security measure for the Tomb of Chaos, as they hadn't anticipated the Charmed Ones accidentally blowing open the Tomb. However, they did know a method to cure the allergy.
The method, as it turned out during "Witchful Thinking", was an enchanted egg, which, when combined with a spell, cured the Charmed Ones allergy, but also granted them their desires, at the expense of others. Unwilling to let others suffer so they can be happy, the sisters agreed to place the egg back where they found it, reversing its effects and restoring the allergy.
Following this, in "Spectral Healing", Macy, undeterred by how the Perfecti insisted there was no cure for the allergy, continued to experiment, eventually reaching her 267th experiment. When that also ended in failure, Macy angrily flung some books, and uncovered a box filled with letters from her mother, with one addressed to Macy and her sisters, Mel and Maggie Vera, "for when it's too painful to be near each other". Thinking Marisol had foreseen the allergy and had the answer, Macy and Maggie both performed a spell to communicate with spirits. However, when they eventually did manage to communicate with Marisol, Macy found out that Marisol hadn't foreseen the allergy; she just knew that even sisters have fights, and she wanted to give some motherly advice for when it happens.
The Solution[]
Eventually, the answer to curing the allergy was found. During a magically induced coma to prevent her death by the Perfecti's hand in "Perfecti Is the Enemy of Good", Mel had an encounter with her future self, who asked her to perform a favor for her. Mel agreed, and revealed to her sisters when she eventually awoke that the favor was to carry her future baby, as future-Mel refused to risk its safety in her time.
In "Schrodinger's Future", while Maggie and Macy travelled to the future to find out what happened, Mel stayed behind to both keep the baby safe and brew a Temporal Tea to reverse any effects time travel would have on her sisters. Ruby eventually helped out by brewing an Acceleration Potion to brew the Temporal Tea faster, but began to overheat due to the potion's effects. Mel managed to cool her down, before instinctively going to help her up. To her and Ruby's surprise, they were able to touch each other. Eventually, Mel figured out the baby was the reason, and, once they returned, explained to her sisters her theory that the baby wasn't just sent back in time to keep it safe, but also to help them with the allergy.
So, in "What to Expect When You're Expecting the Apocalypse", Macy created a potion using mRNA molecules from Mel's baby to cure the allergy by reprogramming their cells. But while she and Maggie drank the potion when it was completed, Macy stated it could take hours, days, or even weeks for the potion to take effect. Eventually, upon discovering Jordan Chase was possessed by the Whispering Evil, Maggie realized that, as she had touched him, the cure had to have worked, since he was magical. Therefore, the Charmed Ones were no longer allergic to magic, allowing them to touch each other and other magical beings once more.
Trivia[]
- The whole concept of the allergy was based on a real pandemic during which the end of the second season and the entire third season were filmed.
- According to Mo, the stone tablet contains instructions about the Tomb of Chaos and the allergy. However, as Maggie Vera pointed out, no one but the Perfecti are able to read the tablet.
- In "You Can't Touch This", while possessing each of the Vera-Vaughn sisterhood of the Charmed Ones, the Chupa-Alma also got infected with their allergy. This allowed the Vera-Vaughn sisters to track the monster after it disappeared with Harry Greenwood. However, it is unclear how the monster was able to attack and take off with Harry, when the allergy should have prevented the monster from getting close to or even touching him.
- In "Schrodinger's Future", when Macy Vaughn and Maggie had temporarily lost their individual powers, the allergy was no longer effective between the two of them. However, it was known that Mel Vera could not touch Ruby because of the allergy, even though Ruby didn't have any individual powers.
- It is possible that the allergy depends on the powers of the person who is allergic and not the one they approach. For instance, this would further explain how Maggie could not approach a cursed Jordan Chase.