FOUR OF A KIND

Before the storm, there was this: they were my friends.

They are known as "Four of a Kind" - or simply, the "Four Aces." Four inseparable friends, each born into families of immense wealth and power - and they are the only friends I have. For such is the rule laid down by our families: we are forbidden from befriending those of lesser standing, those whose families do not match our own. That is the law we live by.

"Seek only them," my family has always told me. "These are the ones you must stand beside. They alone are your equal in status - and they alone can strengthen our name, our ties, our business, and everything we have built."

There is no choice in this. When your family tells you this is all you must do, this is the one you must keep close - you do as you are told. From childhood, you are taught exactly how our family business runs. So that when you come of age, you will already know every part of it, and be ready to take the reins and lead.

Together, we reign supreme at Devereux University. Every student fears us, for all know the unspoken truth: cross us, and your life and your future will be left in ruins. Yet for all the dread we command, what truly binds us together is the friendship we share.

Until that fateful day arrived.

An accident struck - the very event that threw us into turmoil. It was a tragedy that claimed a life... and in its wake, chaos erupted, spreading through every corner of the university.