She was heading towards the balcony outside. Will pushed his way through the crowd, every now and then losing sight of her red hair. He caught her sneaking through the glass doors, unsuspecting that Will had seen her, and picked up his pace. He reached the other side of the Atrium Tower which earned curious glances his way that he nonchalantly ignored.

It was a pleasant evening when Will managed to slip outside onto the balcony after her. He was expecting to be greeted by a lone figure draped in midnight blue only to find that she had escaped him after all.

Will walked towards the balustrade. Arms folded, he leaned into the railing, looking defeated as he stood there. From the inside, it would appear as if he were enjoying the view of the citylights below.

"I told you you would see me again," a voice said.

Will turned around, surprised in thinking that he had been alone. She emerged from the shadows, her features visible now that she no longer wore a mask. The midnight blue dress featured a laced-top bodice and a chiton-styled ankle-length skirt that contrasted with her bright orange hair which had been cropped into an asymmetrical pixie-cut with side-swept bangs falling over her right eye. She walked towards him with confidence, a rebellious gleam in her green eyes.

"Who are you?" Will asked.

"Strange," was all she said. "You look like him. You sound like him. Yet you are not him, are you?"

"I asked you first," Will said. She stopped merely one feet away from him. His statement earned a light-hearted chuckle that she tried to cover under a clearing of the throat.

"Does the name Fey Everstar ring a bell?" she asked.

"You're Raven's sister," he said. She returned his confirmation with a half-hearted smile which faltered as her gaze fixated on the shimmering lights of Infinite City behind Will.

"How is she?" She sounded genuinely concerned, glazed eyes lost in thought that revealed a burden she had been trying to hide.

"Ask her yourself," Will said. "She's worried about you. Why haven't you told her you're alive?"

"I have my own agenda to worry about," Fey snapped. "I don't want her to get involved in this-"

"She's already more involved than you think," Will said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"She's taking me to the Infinites tomorrow. I'm sure you've heard of them," he explained.

A sombre look came upon her as she moved closer to Will, approaching the balustrade next to him. Will turned around so that they were both looking out onto the moonlit cityscape. She leaned against the railing, her elbows digging into the top rail while her hands rested under her chin.

"If you must know," she started. "I'm with the Infinites. Part of what I'm doing is why I can't go back to Raven-"

"But she's your sister-"

"Says the one who just left his brother's commemoration to talk to a stranger-"

"Victor's not dead," Will countered.

"I'm not the one chasing a fool's errand."

"It's not foolish. I saw him," Will stated.

Not even Fey had a snarky remark for that. She recognised the sincerity in Will's eyes and her expression softened.

"You're serious," she said. Will nodded.

A moment of silence sifted between them where a cool, chilly breeze brushed against the nape of their necks and slipped past their clothes, causing Will to shiver despite the warmth of his suit.

With capped sleeves, Fey wrapped her exposed arms around herself, feeling the cold more than Will.

"You should go back inside," he said, noting her trembling shoulders. But she was adamant not to leave.

"Not until you promise that you won't tell my sister you saw me," Fey said.

"I can't do that." Mutual stubbornness forced her to find a compromise.

"Then I shall join you."

"But you just said-"

"If she's going to find out from you then she may as well find out from me," she explained.

A round of applause elapsed their brief dispute from inside the Atrium Tower, signalling the end of Bill's speech. Still leaning against the railing, Will's gaze returned to the unfurled, glowing cityscape sprawled beneath him, a maze of streets and towers flickering like embers that stretched towards the horizon.

"If I know my sister, she will guide you through the Underground Network. I will meet you there."

Will wasn't even given a chance to reply when the conversations of idle chatter grew louder as he heard the glass door open and spun back, intending to address Fey. Instead he saw Ezra.

"Will?" he said. "What are you doing out here?"

"I just needed some air," Will lied. He didn't need to read minds to know that Ezra wasn't buying that excuse.

"I told you that you could trust me, Will."

Annoyance was evident in his tone. He reached Ezra in five big strides.

"Quite frankly." Will stopped at the threshold where Ezra stood to the side, waiting for him. "I don't know who to trust anymore," he said.

Will walked past him, heading towards the entrance hall. "Will..." Ezra's dress shoes rolled out on the glazed tiles, growing louder with each step, despite the distance Will tried to maintain between them.

Navigating the Atrium Tower was made significantly easier while most of the crowd still gathered at the ceremonial platform. Ezra caught up with Will just before he could escape into the entrance hall, being on the same end. Will felt a steady hand pull him back as one shoe crossed the threshold.

"You're being unprofessional," Ezra said.

"It's not like I wanted to come here," Will complained.

"You're the brother of Victor Dark," Ezra reminded. "It's not like you had a choice. Plus, there's someone who's been wanting to have a word with you."

Will released a sigh of resignation. "Do I have a choice?"

In answer, Ezra spun around in urgency, his taught frame signalling Will to follow him. The moment was brief, but it was in that split second Will could have snuck away if he'd really wanted to. What stopped him was his curiosity.

They rounded the crowd this time for ease of passage. On the other side of the lingering crowd, Will found themselves situated at the bottom of the staircase furthest from the balcony and away from curious eyes. Its balustrade was just tall enough to give them privacy.

Two people stood at the landing exchanging small talk, ignorant to their presence until Ezra spoke up once in close enough range.

"He's here, mother," he said. Will recognised Mrs Grayson, completely transformed in an elegant silver dress and matching heels. The stern blue eyes he remembered from their first encounter now revealed kindness as she looked up from the young gentleman next to her and smiled at them. Her long blonde hair, now styled in soft, straight layers that fell past her right shoulder that reflected a timeless and sophisticated appearance.

"Ah Will. I'm glad you could make it," she said.

As for the young gentleman next to her, it appeared they had already met. Will's eyes widened as he recognised the styled, blonde hair and blue eyes of the young knowledgeable fellow that had stood behind him during the ceremony. He offered a smile, but there was no warmth in it. An act meant to downplay the coincidence of their earlier encounter, only deepening Will's suspicion.

"I'd like you to meet Calvin Villerium, Board of Directors at ParaDark Enterprises. He'd like a word with you."

She withdrew to let him speak and Calvin boldly stepped forward.

"As Board of Directors, it is my duty to ensure every side to the story is known before making the final verdict," he explained.

"I don't understand," Will said.

"Recently you were accused of murdering Victor Dark. Your face was on every billboard all over the city. The people are still not fully reassured and are growing restless for answers. It's because of an official query by the public that we have to resolve your case through a legal proceeding. I will see you tomorrow promptly at the Inquisition Chamber for your hearing at midday. Innocent till proven guilty, Mr Dark. The scales of justice never lie. Let's hope you're as innocent as you believe."