The Raven Kings - 3

Silas’s eyes, the color of a stormy sea, held a glint of70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡenaNQpguhE

amusement that didn't quite reach the hard set of his jaw. He70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnBCsDoefZb

was a man sculpted from granite and shadows, his broad70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw8tYubbVue

shoulders hinting at the strength he possessed, the strength70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqXiz8CB9Dy

that had earned him the unquestioned leadership of the70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡENpdkJgtGB

Raven Kings. His tattoos, a swirling vortex of black ink70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr5Cib79Ers

against his pale skin, told a story of rebellion, of defiance, a70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCMztvn1q3R

testament to a life lived on the razor’s edge. They spoke of70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdCBjfViIO

ravens, of kings, and of a violent philosophy etched deep70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphErKLDABQ

into his soul.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyNx0p5KghH

He didn't speak for a long time, simply observing Joshua, his70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3hN2OyzKXV

gaze penetrating and unnerving. The silence in the small cell70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzv1QxNrQHB

became a palpable entity, heavy with unspoken expectations.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡozEBTohxwz

Joshua felt the weight of it, the pressure of Silas’s70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI9aZQTHeRO

unwavering stare. He was being assessed, judged, weighed70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIn11eFCMe

against some internal yardstick that only Silas understood. It70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaefGwzvUNs

was a silent interrogation, far more intense than any shouting70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXmGSgwzT1x

match could ever be. The only sounds were the distant,70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViW7rzOnz8

muffled clamor of the prison, a constant reminder of their70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoj8OGtcmLz

precarious existence.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK44458wbAl

Finally, Silas spoke, his voice a low rumble that resonated70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQa1wRgk0br

with an unexpected melody. "So, the furry gets fifteen years70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw94hSwPg1S

for a Tumblr post," he said, a hint of irony lacing his tone.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbH3mrMuCj9

"That's… efficient." There was a strange quality to his70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUr2p3mjeJX

words, a mix of derision and a surprising empathy that both70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMVYRqNRJdk

disarmed and unsettled Joshua.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa8jggbG2FU

Joshua swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "It wasn't what it70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCmfk75a5Vw

looked like," he mumbled, the words barely audible above70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjYH2kccqTE

the hum of the prison. He tried to explain, to justify, but the words caught in his throat. He felt the inadequacy of his70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7sgxqnw0gy

explanation, the absurdity of his predicament.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnGrr4uoErG

Silas chuckled, a sound that seemed to shake the very70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ89jA0XqZnH

foundations of their cramped cell. "Oh, I'm sure it wasn't.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfIWBMR4aJD

But the system sees what it wants to see, doesn't it? It sees70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8HUGqzBVA

convenient villains. Convenient scapegoats." He paused,70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJs7ZWwsADv

letting his words hang in the air, heavy with meaning. "And70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSkaSnmWI0

in this place, the only justice you find is the justice you make70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI72nUr7haJ

yourself."70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2zp85gEnrv

Joshua felt a prickle of apprehension. This was far removed70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwotYGbTgnV

from the online arguments and debates he was used to. This70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrd8dztNenU

was raw, visceral reality. The Raven Kings. He’d heard70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4tQrMxexCP

whispers, rumors, legends – stories of swift justice, ruthless70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzWNRDtYCs

efficiency, and an unwavering dedication to their own70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡblWt5h3gS5

twisted code.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkVizFldRbJ

"The Raven Kings," Silas continued, as if reading his70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSb98Lj1Jwa

thoughts. "We’re not interested in petty crimes. We deal in70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMvG5gjIVaP

larger matters. We’re the judges, the jury, and the70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn1NxHSQVRm

executioners of those who deserve it. Nazis, pedophiles,70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6sMk5UAH0

zoophiles, abusers... the dregs of humanity who slip through70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64VieVs3Ig

the cracks of a failing system." He spoke with a fierce70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIgsnBNeIU

conviction, his words imbued with the weight of his beliefs.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYULXl70pJz

His ideology was not merely words; it was a lived70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlXov4PMWmY

experience, a burning fire in his eyes.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwJg5xy29tG

Joshua felt a complex mix of emotions—fear, apprehension,70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡua6575wcsS

but also a strange flicker of something else, something that70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2xbCSo57sp

felt like grudging admiration. He knew that Silas’s methods70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡll15vqSvuc

were brutal, unforgivable by most standards. Yet, there was a70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk24gU8uM1p

certain undeniable logic to his words. The system had failed70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGFuF82UmK6

Joshua; perhaps it failed others even more profoundly.

"We have our own rules," Silas continued, his gaze70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0HTFRS000

intensifying. "Our own justice. We don't care about the70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmH6a3FSeB4

legalities, the niceties of the law. We deal in consequences."70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCq5RnyVSP6

He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrbDgMKf7kG

whisper. "We operate in the shadows, unseen, unheard. But70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDqPk1PUOTZ

our influence is felt. We are the silent guardians, the unseen70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ25JEdBdbaT

hand that keeps this place from sinking into complete70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcHTFGsoU1S

chaos."70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSknrgs3NFY

His words were carefully crafted, a blend of intimidation and70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCFFCH9vHj

subtle persuasion. There was a dangerous charm to Silas, a70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoYVDFpfZjv

charismatic magnetism that belied the harshness of his70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50QrKfqcmL

actions. He spoke of revolution, of a twisted form of social70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRaO8tLNFmD

justice, of a world where the weak were protected and the70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLoxbFFcCke

wicked were punished. His words were seductive, an70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdXX7n7DQEp

intoxicating brew of ideology and brutal pragmatism.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuwdZLYFSOQ

"You're new here," Silas said, his gaze shifting, assessing70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxEZmLViLbx

Joshua once more. "You'll learn the rules. You'll learn the70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ11Y6yRchXY

game. Survival here isn't about playing by the book. It's70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj9BifSPGbi

about adaptation, about understanding the dynamics of70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKCDyaHSob

power." He paused, letting the silence hang heavy once70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr28n7NJe8z

more. "And sometimes," he added, a chilling smile playing70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivIw92idxM

on his lips, "it's about choosing sides."70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ69eusfl3jG

Joshua stared at Silas, unsure of how to respond. He was in70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzhRH1GxH77

the den of the wolves, surrounded by brutality and violence,70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMUzlIg6T4x

yet there was a strange allure to Silas’s words. The idea of a70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37TqOcewIW

system that dispensed instant justice, regardless of legal70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLj1aTp1tQ

loopholes or bureaucratic incompetence, held a certain70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvirLseEvr3

appeal, especially given his own unfair trial.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFHmkhQ3Bi8

Silas’s grip on the power dynamics of Martin Correctional70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb0AhDIyyDD

was evident. His casual manner, the way he commanded the70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lCCS6enFA

cell, the way he looked at Joshua – it all spoke of years spent70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOOElajC3ky

honing his skill in manipulation and intimidation. His demeanor was a masterful blend of charming and70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyBlkcmOY11

threatening, a calculated strategy to gain Joshua’s trust, or70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7mqQRpeOf2

perhaps to break him.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKikqNGtLzP

Silas rose from his makeshift bed, his movements fluid and70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8VCWe1weZx

precise, despite his hulking size. He walked to the small,70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3PB30B07Eg

cracked window, the bars obscuring the outside world. He70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzTAo1DGcUd

looked out into the prison yard, a vacant stare that seemed to70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH96QwbepMS

encompass the entire institution, its cruelty, and its despair.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpcoSTlOwwl

"The world outside is sick," he said, his voice barely above a70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl971PpjsN4

whisper, his tone more reflective than threatening. "Corrupt,70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVWxnNxdJMS

unjust. This place is just a reflection of it, a more70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIEM1aFGvS

concentrated form of the same sickness. We are the disease's70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO86Xtj6eOq

antibody, a counterforce to the rot. We cleanse what the70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVUCCmCWNn

system cannot, and will not."70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlrOPgxoTwT

He turned back to Joshua, his eyes sharp, scrutinizing. "Tell70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzzAYPadg0

me, furry," he said, his voice regaining its forceful tone.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QdtbFYaJ0

"What side are you on?"70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE3hZ01g3l4

The question hung in the air, a challenge, a proposition.70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnB4qbUlmA2

Joshua knew that his response would determine his future70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLmDc28EOsK

within the walls of Martin Correctional. It would shape his70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJy5Qti0mvL

alliances, his survival, and perhaps, even his soul. He looked70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEppi8aGXZx

at Silas, this imposing figure, this leader of a criminal70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0k4uD2o7b

organization who believed himself to be a purveyor of70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6p3N8PPUhQ

justice. The weight of the choice hung heavy on his70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVP35KTYMam

shoulders, the pressure almost unbearable. He knew, in that70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkD6ddlmKGM

moment, that his life had irrevocably changed. The game had70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimTgXANw35

begun. And the stakes were higher than he had ever70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWqhhxx1mvL

imagined. His fifteen-year sentence for a Tumblr post had70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavcwSEjbtq

just become infinitely more complicated.

70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFz6xH3vh7

ns216.73.216.239da2

3

REGISTER

LOGIN

Interface Language:

Story Language: