The creature lunged with unnatural speed, its massive, clawed hands sweeping through the air like scythes. Carlos barely had time to roll aside, his wand raised as he fired a blasting curse. The spell struck the creature square in the chest, but instead of being thrown back, it absorbed the impact, the energy rippling through its grotesque form.

"Watch out!" Lando shouted, but before he could act, a shimmering barrier of light sprang up around him, trapping him within a glowing forcefield. He slammed his hands against it in desperation, but it refused to yield.

The creature snarled, its glowing eyes fixed solely on Carlos. "You cannot run from what you are," it growled, its voice a guttural echo that seemed to seep into the walls of the chamber.

Carlos' breath hitched. The words cut deeper than any attack could, but he forced himself to focus. "Stay back!" he shouted at Lando, his voice laced with desperation. "I told you, this is my fight!"

"Like hell it is!" Lando roared, but his voice was muffled by the barrier. He pounded on the forcefield, his eyes wide with terror as he helplessly watched Carlos face the creature alone. "What is this thing, and why is it-"

The creature roared, cutting him off. It reared back, its form shifting and distorting, becoming even more grotesque. Shadows crawled across the walls, twisting into horrifying shapes that seemed to reach for them. The temperature plummeted, and Lando shivered violently within his invisible prison, his breath visible in the frigid air.

The creature turned its attention back to Carlos, its voice dripping with malice. "You hide your truth in darkness. But the shadows see all. It sees everything."

Lando's eyes darted between Carlos and the creature, his expression a mix of confusion and growing fear. He could barely hear Carlos' voice through the thick hum of the forcefield, but he could see the terror in his eyes. "What is it talking about? What truth?"

Carlos ignored him, dodging another swipe from the creature. His foot slipped on the damp stone, and he barely managed to keep his balance. The creature loomed over him, its glowing eyes narrowing.

The pool behind them began to churn violently, and tendrils of water lashed out, pulling at his feet. He struggled against them, his wand sparking as he tried to cast a severing charm. The water hissed and steamed but refused to release him.

"You cannot deny it," the creature intoned, its voice resonating with a terrible finality. "Reveal your nature, or the one you protect will fall."

Lando's grip on the barrier tightened, his face pale but determined, his chest rising and falling with panic. He screamed Carlos' name, but the sound was stifled, drowned out by the hum of the forcefield that prevented him from reaching the other boy. "Carlos, whatever this is, we'll face it together. Just-"

"No!" Carlos interrupted, his voice cracking. His eyes met Lando's for the briefest moment, and the anguish there was undeniable. "You can't take this away from me."

The creature's claws lashed out again, and Carlos raised his arm to shield himself. The impact sent him sprawling to the ground, his wand clattering out of reach. The beast loomed over him, its claws poised for a killing blow.

Lando fought against the invisible walls that separated him from Carlos, his body tense with fear and helplessness. He felt the desperate ache in his chest as he watched the creature prepare to strike, unable to do anything but scream.

As Carlos scrambled up, the light of the torches caught his face, illuminating something that made Lando's breath catch. For a fleeting second, Carlos' eyes seemed to glow, a faint, animalistic shine that wasn't human. The shadows around him thickened, clinging to his frame as if drawn to him. The cursed scars that criss-crossed him grew darker, raw.

Lando's eyes wide with horror, his heart pounding. "What was that?"

The creature, sensing Carlos' hesitation, surged forward again. This time, its movements were more deliberate, its claws carving symbols into the air. The runes glowed with an otherworldly light, and the chamber shuddered violently.

"Whatever you're hiding, it's not worth dying for!" Lando shouted, his voice barely audible over the rising din, his body slamming against the forcefield as he tried to break free. "Let me help you!"

"You can't!" Carlos yelled back, his frustration boiling over, eyes glowing. He raised his wand, his magic surging with raw intensity. The air around him grew heavy, charged with energy. The creature hesitated, almost as if recognising the power he was unleashing.

With a roar of defiance, Carlos unleashed a blast of magic that collided with the creature, sending it crashing into the far wall. The shadows writhed and shrieked, retreating into the pool as the creature dissolved into mist. The chamber fell silent, save for his ragged breathing.

Lando stared, his wide eyes fixed on him, horror and disbelief mixing in his expression. His mouth opened to speak, but no words came out. The forcefield around him finally flickered and collapsed, leaving him free.

"Carlos... what just happened?" Lando whispered, his voice hoarse, a tremor of fear still lingering in his words.

Carlos didn't answer immediately. He turned away, his shoulders tense, his hands trembling. "We need to keep moving."

"No," Lando said firmly, stepping closer. "Not until you tell me what the fuck that thing was, it knew you. It called you-"

"Lando!" Carlos snapped, his voice sharp and eyes hard. "Please. You promised me. You promised no questions asked, no judgement. You said."

Lando hesitated, his instincts screaming that something was terribly wrong. But the desperation in Carlos' eyes stopped him from pressing further, behind the hardness was raw, unfiltered terror. He nodded reluctantly, though his unease remained. "I promised."

Carlos didn't respond. He turned and strode toward the far end of the chamber, his steps echoing in the stillness. Lando followed, his thoughts a whirlwind of questions and fears. The shadows seemed to linger longer as they passed, and the faint hum of the pool's magic whispered warnings neither of them could ignore.

After the intense confrontation with the creature, they moved deeper into the Chamber. The air grows thicker, heavier with each step, as if the very walls are closing in on them. The silence is oppressive, punctuated only by the soft echo of their footsteps and the occasional drip of water from the damp stone ceiling.

They reach a massive stone door, its surface carved with cryptic symbols that seem to shift and shimmer in the dim light. A strange hum vibrates through the air as they approach, and when they draw closer, the door creaks open, revealing a darkened room beyond.

At the center of the room, a pedestal stands. A single, glowing crystal hovers just above its surface, pulsing faintly in the darkness. It seems to call to them, its light shifting and warping with an otherworldly energy.

As they step into the room, the voice of the Chamber rings out once more, its tone deep and resonant, echoing in their minds as if it comes from all around them.

"One of you holds horror and tragedy in the deepest corners of your heart. Secrets long buried, hidden from the world. Yet it is not enough. There is strength in darkness, but not all secrets are born of the same weight. The other holds secrets of their own, yet do not hold the weight of the world. The path forward requires the truth, but can you face it? Can you share what has been hidden?"

The words linger in the air, vibrating with meaning. Carlos felt a cold chill wash over him, his body tensing. He knows. The words were meant for him- he is the one with the horror and tragedy, the one who holds secrets far heavier than he could ever reveal. But the fear of exposing himself is paralysing.

Lando stood beside him, his eyes searching Carlos' face, though he refused to meet his gaze. The words of the trial echo in Lando's mind, but he was too focused on the weight of what he'd just heard. He knew that Carlos had been hiding something, but he had no idea what. It wasn't asking for his secrets, no. It was Carlos'. It all came down to this moment; the tension between them was palpable.

The pedestal before them began to glow brighter, and the voice spoke again, more insistent.

"In this trial, your bond will be tested. One of you must reveal the truth, but only the right truth. The wrong truth will not open the door, and it will not set you free."

Carlos looked at Lando, his heart pounding in his chest. This is it. He stood on the edge of a precipice, and there was no going back. He opened his mouth, but the words felt like they were stuck in his throat. The pressure was too much. The trial demanded the truth, but what truth can he reveal that won't destroy everything? None.

The oppressive silence in the chamber weighed down on them, broken only by the faint hum of the glowing crystal. The stone door loomed ahead, unyielding and silent, its carvings seemed to pulse faintly, waiting for the right words to unlock it.

"The full truth must be spoken," the voice of the Chamber echoed once more, its deep, resonant tone chilling the air.

Carlos' chest felt agonisingly tight, his heart pounding erratically as he stood rooted to the spot. His mind raced faster than he ever had on his broom, the weight of his secret pressing down on him with suffocating force.

He opened his mouth, but it felt like the air had been sucked from his lungs. "I-I'm cursed," he stammered, his voice thin and trembling. "It's-" He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly in a feeble attempt to slow his heart. "It's why I've had to lie, why I disappear sometimes..."

The words are hollow, a fragile attempt at evasion. The crystal's glow faltered for a moment, but the door remained resolutely shut. The low, vibrating hum intensified, reverberating through the room.

"The truth is incomplete. Only the full truth will set you free," the voice declares, its tone unyielding.

Carlos' hands clenched into fists, his breathing shallow. His gaze darts to Lando, who was watching him intently, confusion and worry etched on his face. Carlos knew he couldn't keep stalling, but the fear of exposing himself was paralysing.

Lando took a tentative step forward. "What do you mean, cursed? What are you not telling me? How are you-"

Carlos cuts him off, his voice rising in desperation. "You told me you would never think of me differently, no matter what the reason for my secret, sí? You swore to me that I would still be me and that nothing between us would change."

"Carlos you're scaring me," Lando said, fear now evident in his voice. "I know I said that, I stand by it, but I-"

The hum grew louder, almost deafening now, as if the Chamber itself was growing impatient. Carlos felt the walls closing in, the shadows stretching and twisting unnaturally around them. His hands trembled, his nails digging into his palms. It was now or never.

"I'm a werewolf," he finally chokes out, his voice breaking. "I've been hiding it because if people knew, they'd see me as a monster. And they'd be right. ¡Soy un maldito monstruo!"

The words hung in the air like a thunderclap, the crystal's light flaring suddenly, then dimming to a faint glow. The door groaned, its massive stone surface shifting, but neither of them noticed.

Lando stared at Carlos, his face pale and his eyes wide with horror. His breath comes in shallow gasps as his mind struggles to process what he's just heard. His best friend- a werewolf. The thought twisted in his stomach like ice.

"You're... you're a-" His voice faltered, his words caught in his throat. He took an instinctive step back, his hands trembling at his sides.

Carlos turns to face him, his expression crumbling as he sees the terror in Lando's eyes. The terror aimed at him. His heart shattered, the emotions he'd kept bottled up for so long came rushing out in an uncontrollable torrent.

"No quería que supieras," He cried, unknowingly slipping into Spanish in his hysteria. His voice cracked, his words tumbling out in a desperate, anguished stream. "¡Lo siento tanto! ¡No quería que tuvieras miedo de mí! ¡Por favor, no me odies!" Por favor, Lando, me prometiste que nada cambiaría. You promised." He choked on his sobs as tears ran down his face, over the scars and onto the floor.

Lando didn't respond. He couldn't. His mind was spinning and his body felt frozen, caught between his terror and the crushing guilt of seeing Carlos fall apart properly before him for the first time.. The horror of the revelation clawed at his thoughts, the image of his best friend as something monstrous and uncontrollable flashing in his mind.

Carlos collapsed to his knees, his sobs echoing in the cavernous chamber. "¡Lo siento, Lando! No quería que esto pasara. No quería perderte. No es mi culpa, it's not my fault Lando."

But Lando didn't move to comfort him. His hands remained at his sides, his knuckles white and his face unreadable save for the fear lingering in his wide eyes.

When Carlos' sobs finally quietened, the suffocating silence of the Chamber returned. The stone door stood open now, its dark passage leading into the next trial. Carlos forced himself to his feet, his movements sluggish and weighed down by despair.

He glanced at Lando, his tear-streaked face filled with pain and regret. But he doesn't meet his gaze. He turns toward the door instead, his expression hard and distant.

Without a word, they step into the next chamber, the tension between them thicker than ever before. Lando's silence was deafening, a chasm opening between them that Carlos feared may never close.

As they walked, Carlos wiped at his face, his breath hitching as he tried to pull himself together, digging his nails into his arms. His heart ached with the weight of Lando's fear and his own crushing guilt.

Lando walked ahead, his thoughts a storm of confusion, fear, and regret. He doesn't know how to feel, doesn't know what to say. All he knows is that things can never go back to the way they were. Not after this. No matter his promise.