The Dark Forest

The cold chains cut into his flesh, but Max no longer felt the pain. His mind was nothing but the smoldering ashes of Albania—the kingdom he was once so proud of, now fallen. His parents were murdered by that man's own hands, and the woman he loves is forced to marry the enemy he swore to hate for all eternity. That person is none other than John!

The seeds of this tragedy were sown in the fertile soil of resentment. It all began years ago when Max arrived in Athens to pursue his studies, unknowingly disrupting the social order of the academy. Before Max’s arrival, John was the undisputed star—a young man admired by his peers and beloved by his mentors for his sharp intellect and effortless charm. He basked in the constant glow of validation, but that light dimmed the moment Max stepped onto the scene.

As Max’s natural brilliance and genuine kindness began to capture the hearts and minds of everyone around them, the spotlight John once owned vaished. Each accolade Max received felt like a personal insult to John, a theft of his rightful glory. This perceived displacement fermented into a toxic, silent hatred. John’s admiration turned into a cold,

caculated obsession with vengeance. What started as a simple academic rivalry evolved into a dark, lifelong vendetta that would eventually bring an entire kingdom to its knees.

For this reason, Max sensed a disturbing strangeness within the man from the very beginning. No matter how kind or gentle John appeared on the surface, Max felt an inner darkness that was completely opposite. However, he failed to stay on his guard, choosing instead to dismiss his gut feelings as nothing more than foolish imagination. He ignored the warnings of his heart, leaving himself vulnerable to the coming storm.

In a school play where Max and John were cast as sworn enemies, the performance took a lethal turn. John, having meticulously planned his move, lunged forward and drove a real knife deep into Max’s abdomen. At first, the audience cheered and roared with applause, convinced they were witnessing a masterpiece of acting. It wasn't until a crimson liquid began to pool across the floor that panic gripped the hall and the crowd fled in terror.

A look of sheer, utter shock froze on Max’s face, while John let out a triumphant smirk, as if he had just achieved his greatest life's work. Yet, luck was on Max’s side. Because Menandro was John’s close friend, he understood John’s dark nature better than anyone else. He had sensed something was wrong from the start and acted instantly, rushing Max to the hospital just in time to save his life.

As the hospital doors slammed shut, Menandro stood in the corridor, his hands stained with the blood of a friend and the betrayal of another. He knew this was no accident. While the doctors fought for Max’s life, John’s haunting smile burned into his mind. The school play had ended in tragedy, but the real war for Albania’s soul had only just begun.

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