He screamed, holding onto his unconscious brother. His arm... his arm shouldn't look like that! Shredded and charred, it was he who had done this to him. His best friend, his partner in crime, his brother. Crying out, afraid, Sterling fingered the bubbling flesh on his brother's arm. How did he do that? Mortar? Lava? Tar? No, an acid. Confused and afraid, his cries only brought the servants and Mother and Father running. Screaming, not at him, but just aloud. 

No one noticed on his stomach where a the stray dog had bitten into his flesh. It wasn't important; it wasn't magical. Even Sterling thought his brother was far more important, the mess he had made, though it was Dante's idea to play with the stray. It was only much later, when the nurse can,e, that she cleaned his wound and stitched it together. It hurt' though he felt he deserved it for hurting his dear brother. 

His parents wouldn't even look at him for a while, and he never saw Dante wake up. He didn't stick around for that long. His parents, angry but not giving up on the boy, sent him to live with Uncle Sephyr- whoever the hell that was. And, though Dante didn't realize it, his brother did say goodbye. 
---
His Uncle was an eccentric man, who pursued a future in magic. His Father was upset when he learned what kind of magic coursed through his son's veins; the magic of a dark sorcerer. And it was only Uncle Sephyr who was in the family, inherited the 'gift', and was still sane. Mostly sane, anyways. His uncle never married, and his large mansion was actually a miniature school of sorts- an all-boy magical academy with few teachers other than his uncle. 

Sterling, with his dark magics and sense of humor, became the favorite of several teachers and students, though made just as many enemies as friends. After a week of begging his uncle, the brunette conjured up a letter written by hand, for his brother, telling him about their weird uncle who made an elvish teacher of his make him a youth potion every week. How Sephyr and the elf were actually very good friends, and that the elf was his favorite teacher. 

He told him he was sorry, and that he was making some friends in his new place. That the school was hard, but since he loved magic, it was alright. He never told him about the dog biting him. Sterling blamed himself for that. He laughed at his brother's antics. As Sterling got older, his life at the school became more and more important, and his brother nothing but a faded memory. He wasn't even allowed to visit for the holidays; his parents came to him sometimes. 

Most recently, when he was fourteen, his parents let him visit the house, with a surprise. Since he had passed his training, with flying colors, his parents had arranged for him t move back with the family. To their surprise, Sterling politely declined, the mansion growing on him. His uncle and the teachers took good care of him, and even offered him a spot as a student teacher. That is, while he would still take advanced courses, he would be teaching some students, as well. They had eaten the rest of their meal in silence, and the food tasted of dead animals. 

Things hadn't been any better with Dante, either. They had planned on sleeping in Dante's room, since his old room was being used as a home gym. Unfortunately, his beloved familiar, who helped him control his powers and accompanied him everywhere, was being unimaginably rude to his brother, making it impossible for them to socialize. He couldn't sleep that night. 

Then, a few months later, the familiar organized his birthday party and he was forgiven. Then came news that his brother was coming to the academy. Something had happened to make his powers go haywire. He was hopeful it was all part of puberty, though unlikely as it might have seemed. 

Today, the new class was arriving. Sterling was a newly a appointed student teacher, at age fifteen. Some of his closest friends had also been dubbest student teachers, so he didn't feel too special. He was going to meet the incoming class along with one of his fellow student teachers, a close friend of his. He waited with his familiar near the front of the house, looking at his reflection in the window. Cheerful lime green eyes and dark, nearly brown auburn hair that was neat but spiked at the same time. Fair skin with a few freckles. He was slightly tall, inches short of six feet. 

There was something dangerous coming t the school, and he could do nothing to stop him.