The Raven Kings - 3

Silas’s eyes, the color of a stormy sea, held a glint of69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbduzJWikkA

amusement that didn't quite reach the hard set of his jaw. He69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMott7QmXoj

was a man sculpted from granite and shadows, his broad69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKsISNU1tf2

shoulders hinting at the strength he possessed, the strength69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz6nzqge080

that had earned him the unquestioned leadership of the69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJIvbHwTN4L

Raven Kings. His tattoos, a swirling vortex of black ink69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnCC06FX2N

against his pale skin, told a story of rebellion, of defiance, a69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡilzv5Zet0b

testament to a life lived on the razor’s edge. They spoke of69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQX7dHWZuQ8

ravens, of kings, and of a violent philosophy etched deep69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡANmKsdXbtg

into his soul.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzh6ErbLcq

He didn't speak for a long time, simply observing Joshua, his69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfQnvmPfOjR

gaze penetrating and unnerving. The silence in the small cell69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMuZtvYvZXS

became a palpable entity, heavy with unspoken expectations.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0j3tWlO48

Joshua felt the weight of it, the pressure of Silas’s69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk2jzCdhObl

unwavering stare. He was being assessed, judged, weighed69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9fqZmT6bPQ

against some internal yardstick that only Silas understood. It69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCZHKIEPmma

was a silent interrogation, far more intense than any shouting69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1vwm7q4sC

match could ever be. The only sounds were the distant,69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgy0rJgHipb

muffled clamor of the prison, a constant reminder of their69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6MM4NsIOA

precarious existence.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKd0z9RQlFU

Finally, Silas spoke, his voice a low rumble that resonated69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDIjOYwWed

with an unexpected melody. "So, the furry gets fifteen years69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuJhkS0cuQN

for a Tumblr post," he said, a hint of irony lacing his tone.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAP1pDuD63

"That's… efficient." There was a strange quality to his69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjfF4ytZw6l

words, a mix of derision and a surprising empathy that both69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTrpUBCsFe

disarmed and unsettled Joshua.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEjG8muUumr

Joshua swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "It wasn't what it69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlmA5aaCQcX

looked like," he mumbled, the words barely audible above69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hnjjop3ZU

the hum of the prison. He tried to explain, to justify, but the words caught in his throat. He felt the inadequacy of his69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2AZZHWjYiU

explanation, the absurdity of his predicament.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6krB0uIoC

Silas chuckled, a sound that seemed to shake the very69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbzawsNEl8

foundations of their cramped cell. "Oh, I'm sure it wasn't.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOW5yUcWivy

But the system sees what it wants to see, doesn't it? It sees69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG5wqDDuqM2

convenient villains. Convenient scapegoats." He paused,69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBd7zu6emKN

letting his words hang in the air, heavy with meaning. "And69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfrNBbDAqE

in this place, the only justice you find is the justice you make69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6KFGFJzMiE

yourself."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ78ibsvR5tT

Joshua felt a prickle of apprehension. This was far removed69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgstse4E6lk

from the online arguments and debates he was used to. This69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJ0kBxJULD

was raw, visceral reality. The Raven Kings. He’d heard69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjXD6fRBcF6

whispers, rumors, legends – stories of swift justice, ruthless69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUGn26HSE2

efficiency, and an unwavering dedication to their own69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2rsu2SlnrK

twisted code.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mC1fhrprl

"The Raven Kings," Silas continued, as if reading his69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1mYl7dEdDr

thoughts. "We’re not interested in petty crimes. We deal in69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9VnjgRQPXq

larger matters. We’re the judges, the jury, and the69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIz3zdBCT5z

executioners of those who deserve it. Nazis, pedophiles,69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCDOG7ZW3uo

zoophiles, abusers... the dregs of humanity who slip through69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQq1wBcZHzH

the cracks of a failing system." He spoke with a fierce69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsV4HTPdsrT

conviction, his words imbued with the weight of his beliefs.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡix0FKOXQxZ

His ideology was not merely words; it was a lived69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRgDVB8hA2f

experience, a burning fire in his eyes.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLgy5ZBvH4P

Joshua felt a complex mix of emotions—fear, apprehension,69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKLryXz8Fea

but also a strange flicker of something else, something that69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhVnQLdILDj

felt like grudging admiration. He knew that Silas’s methods69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡscMuEcLFnE

were brutal, unforgivable by most standards. Yet, there was a69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk5mFe2y0Pv

certain undeniable logic to his words. The system had failed69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQy52BzaUy7

Joshua; perhaps it failed others even more profoundly.

"We have our own rules," Silas continued, his gaze69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjxpugG3yzl

intensifying. "Our own justice. We don't care about the69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpGezCjpGc3

legalities, the niceties of the law. We deal in consequences."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAN7l3ADqam

He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7mSBX8tRc

whisper. "We operate in the shadows, unseen, unheard. But69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUN0UNv2szi

our influence is felt. We are the silent guardians, the unseen69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ314FiWqbOD

hand that keeps this place from sinking into complete69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDJkPAqbwqm

chaos."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQXMDRW43GE

His words were carefully crafted, a blend of intimidation and69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYqHKeXRwK4

subtle persuasion. There was a dangerous charm to Silas, a69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5fq01VLWaL

charismatic magnetism that belied the harshness of his69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtnPEnERLW3

actions. He spoke of revolution, of a twisted form of social69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jhook6r4T

justice, of a world where the weak were protected and the69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ3KegUOcJV

wicked were punished. His words were seductive, an69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAk5R2El3o

intoxicating brew of ideology and brutal pragmatism.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfwuMI1IOe

"You're new here," Silas said, his gaze shifting, assessing69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv4RUZQJt1H

Joshua once more. "You'll learn the rules. You'll learn the69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpiD9d3BA7o

game. Survival here isn't about playing by the book. It's69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEO7OXUJuuF

about adaptation, about understanding the dynamics of69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ6PtTi5QVA

power." He paused, letting the silence hang heavy once69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7idtuU4zjN

more. "And sometimes," he added, a chilling smile playing69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjGT8fFfe6

on his lips, "it's about choosing sides."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDKc9LGDxyZ

Joshua stared at Silas, unsure of how to respond. He was in69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoGqSpUE90y

the den of the wolves, surrounded by brutality and violence,69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVV5OFy9893

yet there was a strange allure to Silas’s words. The idea of a69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzlFW4i0rFk

system that dispensed instant justice, regardless of legal69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhBdLpmXIHY

loopholes or bureaucratic incompetence, held a certain69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyto5fFtwZJ

appeal, especially given his own unfair trial.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfc4Ho17qKx

Silas’s grip on the power dynamics of Martin Correctional69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeayuMXec0e

was evident. His casual manner, the way he commanded the69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHFDCWun9c1

cell, the way he looked at Joshua – it all spoke of years spent69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4Rj6GupIG

honing his skill in manipulation and intimidation. His demeanor was a masterful blend of charming and69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7enU1m4dEg

threatening, a calculated strategy to gain Joshua’s trust, or69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaOKxPOsRJc

perhaps to break him.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6YqCmt9DP

Silas rose from his makeshift bed, his movements fluid and69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgJSDedjaO

precise, despite his hulking size. He walked to the small,69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6INwiN0KQ

cracked window, the bars obscuring the outside world. He69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtgzqMjfPU

looked out into the prison yard, a vacant stare that seemed to69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsLF67fkKfA

encompass the entire institution, its cruelty, and its despair.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXZ2qsbtN1

"The world outside is sick," he said, his voice barely above a69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡit3esfFcXo

whisper, his tone more reflective than threatening. "Corrupt,69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9luUWPEfR5

unjust. This place is just a reflection of it, a more69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHQxxcC9ET8

concentrated form of the same sickness. We are the disease's69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvBS7wXfF2k

antibody, a counterforce to the rot. We cleanse what the69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2WOHOR789T

system cannot, and will not."69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Fbp2jVy1c

He turned back to Joshua, his eyes sharp, scrutinizing. "Tell69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8J4zu6RZ9C

me, furry," he said, his voice regaining its forceful tone.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eWtGSCO0N

"What side are you on?"69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6TqB7uDeO

The question hung in the air, a challenge, a proposition.69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk00LpOZyqo

Joshua knew that his response would determine his future69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2yM5Pxh9Le

within the walls of Martin Correctional. It would shape his69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11jVfObWQO

alliances, his survival, and perhaps, even his soul. He looked69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvoPlIH0Og

at Silas, this imposing figure, this leader of a criminal69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO5Xuj0jw3j

organization who believed himself to be a purveyor of69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtb2YM4X6W2

justice. The weight of the choice hung heavy on his69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡomnidOgaV3

shoulders, the pressure almost unbearable. He knew, in that69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj5qb0MDh1d

moment, that his life had irrevocably changed. The game had69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNhUjAj5oO

begun. And the stakes were higher than he had ever69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb2ZnDpJ9tU

imagined. His fifteen-year sentence for a Tumblr post had69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNEQVK8qO6

just become infinitely more complicated.

69Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECXEzcHCaY

ns216.73.216.239da2

3

REGISTER

LOGIN

Interface Language:

Story Language: