Randy was the first-born son of Euphrates Virus, Lightning Knight. As such, it was Randy's legacy to follow in his father's steps. He had been training every day for most of his life to become a Lightning Knight, & now, at 23, his time was near. Randy's father & his two colleagues, Adair Lightning & Salvatore Electron, had reached their age of retirement. Adair's son, Ace, had been a close friend of Randy's since Randy was three & Ace was born. They were also each other's training partners. Ace had turned 20 recently & was also eager to take his place as a Knight. There was only one thing stopping them. The third Lightning Knight, Salvatore, had no son. His wife had died giving birth to their first child, & the baby, a boy, died a few short hours after. This had greatly affected Salvatore; he never remarried or spoke of his first wife. He became moody & inclined to drink a little too much.
"I have taken on an apprentice, my friends. Do not worry." Salvatore assured his fellow Knights.
"Salvatore! You never mentioned this! Is it a lad we can trust?"
Euphrates was not the only shocked one. Both Randy & Ace, who had been talking together quietly about their fields, mechanics & leadership skills respectively, moved closer to the table. They were both eager to learn about their possible new colleague.
"Euphrates, do you not trust my judgement?" questioned Salvatore. Although the men were all as close as brothers, there were times when Salvatore & Euphrates rubbed each other the wrong way. Adair, the born leader, took charge.
"Of course we trust your judgment, Sal. We just need to be cautious, as you well know. Not only will our sons need to depend on him, but the entire dimension as well."
Salvatore leant back in his chair & smiled.
"You know your sons mean as much to me as they do to you. My apprentice is strong willed & dedicated. You will not be disappointed."
"When do we get to meet him?" Asked Randy.
He had always been fond of his father's mysterious friend, who was sometimes called the 'dark element' of the group.
Salvatore smiled mysteriously at him.
"That, my boy, is a surprise."