Born to Endless Love

Trial of Fire

Born to Endless Love Chapter Fifty-Two: Trial of Fire

Michael age: 16, JJ age: 14

JJ pov- I stood in front of the tall stone castle, staring up at it's cracked edges and cold exterior. My chest was clenching, yet it was all I could understand as I looked over the place. Was I supposed to be feeling something? Hard to know when I have never once felt anything.

The double doors to the castle flew open, and a part of me felt hesitant to enter. I have been here before, haven't I? Why was I so hesitant now when I hadn't been before?

'Maybe it's because you can't remember what happened before.' A voice in my head pondered.

Perhaps it was right. I have no memory of this castle or this small stone Island. I have no idea how I even got here. Even so, it feels like I have been here before.

"Why hesitate," I asked aloud, turning toward the doors again. "If you were here once before, then it means you came out un-scaved. There is no reason to hesitate."

Hesitation was nothing like me. Hesitation comes with fear, and fear is one of the many things I have never felt before. It's pointless to hesitate when you know no fear.

With that thought in mind, I passed through the doors and walked into a long hallway covered floor to ceiling in mirrors. I faced the right wall, seeing my reflection stare back at me in all the mirrors. The face looking back at me was as stone as the material that made up this island and the castle. Unmoving, unchanging, permanent.

My clothes were very strange. I was dressed in a white button up shirt, white pants, and a white vest with tailcoats at the bottom. A white silk tie was around my neck as well, tucked under the vest so only the knot showed around the shirt's collar. The only color on me at all was my golden hair and some trim on the edge of the vest that was also gold.

"Why am I wearing such strange attire," I wondered, looking myself over before starting to make my way down the hall again. No matter how many times I looked in one of the mirrors, my expression remained unchanging. I'm not really sure why I was expecting anything else. This is how I have always been, and will always be.

The hall seemed like it would never end, but eventually I was met with a door with bright white light coming from it. Curious, I walked a little faster to enter through it. The moment I did, I was in a round ballroom with mirrors once again covering all of the walls. A giant chandelier made of witchlight made up most of the ceiling.

I turned my head up to it, intrigued by the colors it made. Normally witchlight could only form a dim white light, but these were in different colors of the rainbow. I believe that only happens when Uncle Magnus holds one of the stones.

"Beautiful isn't it," a familiar voice asked from next to me.

I slowly lowered my head, becoming face to face with Kalen. He was dressed almost exactly like me, only his attire was black and had no coattail vest.

"I don't know. I am incapable of understanding what is and isn't beautiful," I informed him.

He smiled sympathetically at that before holding out his hand to me.

"Will you dance with me?"

I looked down at his hand before meeting his eyes once again.

"What purpose would we have to dance? Besides, there is no music."

Even without emotions, I could tell my words were hurting him. He kept that smile on his face, but it was cracking. Sadness filled his eyes as he grabbed one of my hands gently.