The Public Stoning

Izan straightened himself and turned back to the crowd. The air was thick with the charged silence of a crowd waiting on the edge of an explosive release, their faces taut with a blend of anticipation, rage, and grim satisfaction. He could feel the weight of their gazes, thousands of eyes locked onto him, waiting for him to utter the words that would shatter the chains restraining their fury.

Izan surveyed the crowd, his expression as stony and resolute as the cobblestones beneath his feet. His gaze shifted back to the three condemned figures kneeling behind him, their wrists bound and faces marked with exhaustion, fear, and the final flickers of pride.