Chapter 869: Meeting Morcan
Serys was still looking at him in disbelief.
"You said... Morcan wants to see me?" How was such a thing possible?
They had thought Morcan was either dead or had escaped through a secret passage... How could he still be on the island?
Such a thing shouldn’t even be possible! It was impossible for him to be on the island and for the tower leader and Supreme Council not to be able to find him.
The mage nodded slowly.
"Yes, Professor, but... not in the way you think." He paused for a moment, scanned the hallway, and made sure no one was watching them.
"Please follow me." Then he said in a low voice.
Without waiting for an answer, he changed his path and entered a narrow hallway that led toward the old section of the tower.
The further they went, the older and emptier the buildings became.
Stone walls that were once magnificent were now hidden beneath layers of moss and deep cracks.
The mage looked back every few minutes. He changed course twice. Once, he even entered a dead-end alley, stood there for a few seconds, and after ensuring no one was following them, entered another path through a hidden door.
"Why are you so cautious?" Daniel could no longer stay silent.
"Because Professor Morcan said that if the day ever came when I had to bring you here... I should assume that from that very moment, everyone is looking for me." The mage answered quietly without turning around.
This made Daniel and Serys exchange a glance.
A few minutes later, they stood before a small, old house.
A house that, among the tower’s forgotten buildings, seemed almost invisible.
The wooden door opened with a quiet sound. The interior was simple and clean. No massive library, no advanced magical tools.
Just a few shelves, a wooden table, and a few old chairs.
"Morcan is hiding here?" Serys looked around.
The mage lowered his head.
"No..." He walked toward a shelf in the corner of the room.
He hesitated for a moment, then moved aside one of the thick books. Behind it, a small compartment was hidden.
From inside the compartment, he pulled out a transparent crystal, about the size of a palm. His hand was clearly trembling as he held it.
He carefully placed it on the table.
"Professor Morcan entrusted this to me before he disappeared." He was silent for a few seconds, as if repeating those words wasn’t easy for him.
"He said if you ever hear that all the murders have been pinned on me... or that I killed the tower leader’s daughter..." He took a deep breath.
"Find only one person." Then he looked directly at Serys.
"You."
Serys blinked in disbelief.
The mage continued.
"He said you were the only one from the very first day who believed those deaths were murders. And he said... only you know who the real killer is."
He gave only a short bow.
"I’ll wait outside. No one will disturb you."
The door closed quietly, and the room fell into silence.
Daniel, without a word, picked up the crystal and examined it. It was a recording crystal that could capture scenes.
Exactly like a camera.
"What do you think is inside it?" Serys asked in surprise and curiosity.
"Something that might help us bring Lioran down." He then gathered a gentle energy at his fingertips.
A moment later, the crystal glowed with a blue light. The air in the room rippled, and a three-dimensional image slowly took shape.
Morcan.
But not the professor everyone knew. His eyes were sunken, his beard unkempt, and several fresh wounds could be seen on his face.
His formal tower robe was torn and stained with dried blood. He stared ahead for a few seconds, then gave a bitter smile.
"If you’re watching this... it means I’m dead."
He was silent for a few moments, then with a short, hopeless laugh, continued:
"Or perhaps... I died much earlier than this."
His gaze grew heavy.
"For years... years, I did everything I was told. I found a poison maker, staged suicide scenes, erased evidence."
"I silenced witnesses." Each sentence landed heavier than the last on the room’s atmosphere.
Morcan closed his eyes for a few seconds, and when he opened them again, no trace of calm remained in his gaze.
"But... the decision was never mine." He looked directly at the crystal, as if he could see those who would later watch this message.
"All the murders... were carried out on Lioran’s orders."
But Morcan’s confession was not yet over. This time, he laughed. Not from joy, not from victory, but a laugh that only comes from someone who lost hope long ago.
"Don’t think with this confession... you can defeat Lioran. You don’t even know who you’re dealing with."
Morcan continued quietly:
"Lioran was never alone. Every time I thought it was finally over..."
"Someone would appear. The evidence would disappear. The cases would be closed. And every potential witness would vanish."
His eyes trembled for a moment.
"Because the only living founder of the tower... has been Lioran’s supporter from the very beginning."
Morcan continued:
"He... knew about all the murders. From the very first one. And he allowed them to continue."
The crystal’s light began to flicker. Morcan’s image faded, and his final sentence echoed quietly through the room:
"This is the truth you’ve always been searching for, Lady Serys. But they isolated you because you were searching for it."
The light went out, and the crystal returned to its transparent, lifeless state.
The room fell completely into silence. Neither Daniel nor Serys spoke. Time seemed to have stopped for a few seconds.
Neither had expected Morcan to betray Lioran, and the reason he had been willing to betray him and record this video was not mentioned in the video itself.
But one thing was certain: he had truly betrayed him and had been willing to tell the truth. And Daniel didn’t think this was another trap either.
Because this recording contained many truths that could destroy Lioran, so it couldn’t be a simple trap.
But setting all that aside, there was a more terrifying truth.
Daniel quietly placed the crystal on the table and then, without taking his gaze off it, asked:
"Who is the only living founder of the tower?"
Serys was silent for a long time. Her lips moved several times, but it seemed even saying the answer was impossible for her.
Finally, in a voice that clearly trembled, she said:
"One... of the six founders of the tower. The only one still alive. A Demi-God... who has lived for a thousand years in the deepest part of the tower."
"No one has seen him for years. Even the tower leader is only occasionally allowed to meet him." Her breathing grew heavier.
"He... has always supported Lioran. Always said he was the most suitable person to be the heir."
Her eyes slowly became empty. All the beliefs she had relied on for years were crumbling one by one.
"But... why?"
"Why would he hide the murder of the tower leader’s daughter?"
"Why would he allow so many people to be killed?"
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes.
"This... makes no sense at all. He’s one of the tower’s founders..."
"He should..." She couldn’t finish her sentence.
For the first time, her faith in the tower’s most sacred being had been shattered.
Daniel had remained silent until that moment. Then he smiled very calmly. Not out of happiness, but out of understanding a truth he had been searching for for a long time.
"Now... everything falls into place."
He quietly began piecing together the puzzle.
"Now I understand why Lioran was always one step ahead. Why no evidence ever remained. Why the murders stayed hidden for years."
"And why the tower leader had said changing the heir’s position... was almost impossible."
"Because the problem isn’t just Lioran. Behind him stands... one of the most powerful beings in this world."
"So... what should we do now?" Serys asked in a trembling voice.
"How are we supposed to defeat someone who has a being just below the gods behind him?"
"Winning won’t be easy. But it’s not impossible either." Daniel answered without the slightest anxiety.
He had no fear of a Demi-God. The number of Demi-Gods behind him was more than one.
He picked up the crystal again. Its faint light reflected between his fingers.
"Until now, we were looking for the killer. From now on... we need to make it so even that founder can’t defend him."
"We need evidence. Not one piece, not ten pieces."
"We’ll gather so much evidence... that even if the entire tower wants to hide the truth, it won’t be able to anymore."
He stared at the crystal for a few seconds, then smiled confidently.
"This... is our first real piece of evidence." He looked at Serys and added:
"And it’s time to change the game. From this moment on... we’re not just looking for the killer anymore. We need to make Lioran... make his first real mistake himself."