(Flashback)
Standing at the precipice of an asteroid in a belt orbiting around an enormous gaseous giant, two alien figures could be seen looking out over the vast cosmos of space. One of them, the most distinguishable of the pair, was a tall, effeminate male with blue skin and white hair, wearing a maroon robe complete with royal embellishments, and a long scepter with a gem floating above it. The second was a child, about a third his height, and was a very cute anthropomorphic dog with fox like features, a red and white coat, a long fluffy tail, and wearing a maroon gi with similar rectangular patterns on it. Looking at them from a distance, it was easy to guess the kind of relationship that they shared.
Unaffected by the lack of oxygen and atmosphere, the two beings simply stood there in silence, enjoying the sights, gazing at the billions of stars around them and admiring the quasar hanging in the distance. Glancing towards a comet that was also streaking past their system, both the adult and the child gazed in awe at its magnificence before the former turned his attention to the youngster standing beside him.
"Now Set… can you tell me what constellation that one is?" the man exclaimed, pointing with his staff towards a cluster of stars in the distance.
Placing a finger over their lips, the little hybrid pup beamed and pointed up at it as well. "That is the arrangement of Hephaestus of the Bas Gorton sector, just outside of the Yaquis quadrant." After outlining it with his finger the child then pointed to the collection of stars right next to it. "That one is the Sigil alignment over Martus, otherwise known as Sheikh on the planet Fromm." The youngster then gestured to the one right next to that. "And those stars in the distance are shaped into the Spear of Dehmet above Trydon."
"Well done, Set. You are right on all three counts," the soft speaking man said, appearing genuinely pleased at his pupil easily identifying the sparkling clusters before them. "I'm glad to see how far you've come in your studies. You should be very proud of yourself."
The young dog hybrid smiled up at the man and cupped his hands behind his back. "Well… I have a really good teacher."
Giggling at the child's remark, the tall blue alien then directed his gaze towards the quadrant they were in and once again breathed a deep sigh of relief. "The universe is a big and wonderful place, filled with both beauty and splendor. It's like an enormous kaleidoscope of many colors stretching infinitely in all directions. However, in spite of all of its brilliance and perfections, it is also made up of an equal amount of imperfections. This includes destruction, abhorrence and violence. They are all cogs in a continuous, ever-changing system that you or I can never hope to completely understand." He then lifted his head a little higher and gazed upon the stars above them. "As such, it is our jobs as the guardians of this reality to protect this place, to ensure that the balance is kept so that the universe can keep on growing and changing. Do you understand, Set?"
"Yes, Whis-sensei," the young, humanoid dog answered with a nod and a smile.
"Good," satisfied with his student's answer, the pair went back to staring across the stars.
After a couple of minutes of standing there and admiring the galaxy around them, the young fighter in training beside the teal being then decided to try something. Powering up so that a radioactive blue aura surrounded them, the pup held his hands out and extended his will and influence across the vacuum. Eyes flaring red as he focused his energy, Set then took hold of a group of stars and, in an incredible display of telekinetic ability, began to rearrange the specks in the distance.
Whis noticed this and glanced down at his student in surprise. Upon which he then looked up to see what constellation the young hybrid had decided to change. Over the next minute, the man watched in interest as Set took hold of the dozen plus celestial bodies and shifted them into entirely new positions, at the same time manipulating the planets and systems that they were also attached to. Eventually, after a several more moments of tweaking, the project was complete. When the child lowered his hands and powered down, both he and Whis could now see a new face staring back at them from the stars, one that the teacher recognized all too well.
"Look, master," Set exclaimed happily, his eyes sparkling with pride, "It's you."
"Ah. What a wonderful arrangement of stars. Your mastery over celestial energy is growing stronger and stronger every day," the teal skinned trainer chirped, before reaching over and placing a hand on top of his apprentice's head. Smiling happily, he then ruffled the child's head of red hair. "Thank you so much, Set. It is beautiful." A wide smile framed the effeminate man's face. "I can tell that you are going to grow up to become a great God some day."
Eyes shimmering with joy, the child raised a fist and clenched it tightly, "Oh, I want to become more than just a great God, master."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Much more," Set answered with a vigorous nod of his head, "I want to grow up to become the greatest God that ever lived." The child then extended their hand towards the cosmos and curled his fingers around a distant star. "I'll become so great; every single person in the universe will come to know my name."
Whis, chuckling happily, rested a hand on the child's back and turned to gaze at the newest constellation floating in the sky before him. "I'm sure you will, Set. I'm sure you will." And he meant it.
As the two of them stood there and watched the universe sparkle around them, the world they were in slowly faded away…
(End Flashback)
XXX
Sitting in the dining room of Beerus's palace, surrounded by multiple glass walls of an enormous aquarium filled with countless species of fish, the source of the visual recount was currently sitting at the table enjoying a spot of breakfast. With a plate of fillets and vegetables in front of him and his chair turned side-on to the counter, the teacher of the present God of Destruction, Whis, was staring up at an enormous hologram being projected by his staff.
The gem at the end of the scepter glowing brightly, the effeminate male allowed the image of himself and his former student to fade away. Once the projection dissipated seconds later, a weary sigh escaped his lips as he then allowed a gentle smile to cross his face. Dispelling his staff so that he could free up his hands, the man then brought his left leg up and crossed it over his right, upon which he rested his arm atop the table and stared across the room thoughtfully.
"It almost seems like it was yesterday when we were standing together on that cliff," Whis spoke to himself, his expression becoming solemn as he thought about days long past. "Even if it is just a distant memory…"
Over his millions of years of existence, Whis had been the teacher, mentor and assistant to many of the Gods in history. The most recent prodigy he'd taken on as an apprentice is the widely known and feared current deity of destruction Beerus, who was right now undergoing one of his hibernation cycles up in the temple. He was a brilliant student and played his role exceedingly well as an entity of devastation and ruin, responsible for keeping the balance in his administration zone, even if he was a little bit conceited in his position.
However, the one student that Whis could never forget, due to their role in the universe's greatest conflict ever waged and the strong connection he had with them, was his former student Set, the God of Storms. It was a face he'd come to know over countless lifetimes, not just because he'd raised and trained them since they were a pup, but also because Set had been the first student he'd ever had.
The child had been his greatest achievement as an instructor… and also his greatest failure.
It was a truth that filled Whis's heart with sadness and grief as the attendant picked up his fork and slowly began to pick at his food.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to live that one down," the old teacher whispered, collecting up a fillet with some vegetables, and plopping it into his mouth.
As he dined away on his small feast, the attendant couldn't help but wonder what had steered his phenomenally talented and kindest student down the path of darkness. It was a thought that continued to plague his mind all the way through breakfast and the walk he decided to take in the gardens outside of Beerus's castle later that morning…
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