Eternal Winds

Warning: Contains mid-game spoilers.

*I don't own Tales of Zestiria or any of it's characters, though if I did, Dezel wouldn't have been killed off. (OOPS! Spoiled it for those who missed the warning.)

"Keep on keepin' on!"

"Yeah!" Rose called up to Dezel, tears in her eyes, as he rose into the golden light, and she sank back down to the world that had taken so much from him.

It seemed too cruel of an end, finding the truth about his past, meeting the target of his hatred, just to find out he caused the death of his best friend. His only consolation was that he'd been able to tell Rose the truth after he sacrificed himself to save her, even if it was the partial truth, though neither knew.

Rose's last sight before she was engulfed in the blinding light was of Dezel, smiling broader than ever before. His eyes shone bright green once again, as they had before his troubles claimed his lot in life. Then everything went white.

Dezel felt his physical form leave him, along with the whispering of the winds. He panicked at first, even with his sight restored, he felt blind without the only thing he had to call a friend in those lonely years, before Rose could even acknowledge his presence.

Closing his eyes, Dezel resigned himself to thinking oblivion could be welcome rest from all his troubles.

But part of his consciousness still felt restless. The logical side argued that his job was done, that he could rest with nothing else to fight for. But the emotional side of the wind seraph broke its usual silence, arguing that he did have something to fight for, even if he wasn't aware of what it was yet.

Suddenly, the stark white that had filled every inch of his mind grew emerald-tinted. The warring sides of Dezel became quiet, as a comforting and oddly familiar presence enveloped him. Soaking in the bliss the aura provided, Dezel could hear a voice faintly say, "Dezel…"

Dezel's newly restored eyes widened. "That voice… I know that voice." The voice conjured memories, sharp and colorful, of blue skies, green fields, and a promise… "Lafarga!"

In front of him, a form shimmered into existence, giving off a blinding glow. As the light subsided to slightly blinding again, sure enough, grinning back at him was his old friend.

Awestruck and overjoyed, Dezel was speechless as his old friend and beloved mentor stepped forward looking none the worse being dead for a few years. "What took you so long?" he crossed his arms and scowled.

But seeing Dezel's shock, the scowl disappeared as fast as it had appeared, replaced by his trademark broad grin. "It's good to you, ya ill wind," he chuckled.

Dezel's emotions whirled inside of him like a raging vortex. "I-I'm so sorry!" his gazed turned downward sorrowfully. "It was all my fault, all of it. I killed you!"

Lafarga placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder and gave Dezel a kind smile. "Hey, none of that is true, all that vile seraph said was a load of hellion dung. Yes, you played a part in it, but I chose my path, and you chose to right your mistakes. That's all that matters."

Dezel suddenly glanced up. "How did you know that? Am I dead too?"

"I've been watching you ever since you started accompanying Rose again. And no, you're not dead. Neither am I, for that matter. Look," he gestured around them.

Their surroundings suddenly changed. Instead of the piercing white-green light, the expertly-hewn stone walls of Pendrago stood around them. A beautiful midnight sky greeted them, not a single cloud broke the view. They stood in front of the central fountain, and standing next to them was… "Rose!"

She stood with her hands clenched to her chest, eyes downcast and hidden underneath red bangs. "Oh Dezel, why didn't you tell me? I was such a jerk, I… I'm sorry I didn't talk to you more often, but… Why? Damn you!" she started to sob.

"Rose, I-" he tried to put a hand on her shoulder, Only to have it pass through her. "What the-?"

"She can't hear you, nor can she feel or see you," Lafarga somberly explained.

"So I am dead?!"

"No, I told you. Not dead. Simply put, you are the purest form of a wind spirit." He turned and gestured for him to follow. "Come on, I'll explain more."

Unwilling to leave Rose again, but utterly confused, Dezel had no choice but to follow, as Lafarga led the way.

They passed the inn, where Sorey sat dejectedly underneath the awning, past Mikleo and Edna in the Eastern street. Lailah could been seen on the central rampart, visible only as a silhouette against a backdrop of the moonlit skies.

They came to a stop in front of the Shrine Church, where Zaveid leaned against a pillar, twirling Dezel's hat. Dezel growled, and was about to demand his hat back, when he remembered he couldn't see him, making him stop short.

"So why can't they see me, and why aren't we dead?" Dezel demanded.

Lafarga sighed. "Straight to the point huh? Well, you should have died, but I intervened." He started to idly tap the crest on his glove. "You see, there is a way for a seraph to achieve a form of immortality, though very few are any bit capable of it. Now, normally a seraph would have to figure that out at his or her time of death, but I can see you're quite capable, just under informed."

Giving up on the crest, Lafarga began materializing small gusts of winds, chilling the oblivious and half-naked Zaveid. Chuckling, he explained, "Once he figures out how to remain in the world, a seraph can manipulate the physical world again. But knowing you, you want to return to the world indefinitely and wholly, am I right?"

Dezel nodded.

"Then you've got your work cut out for you, I'm afraid to say, as that's the hardest afterlife achievement for a seraph," Lafarga said.

Dezel stepped forward , determination written on his face. "Tell me, how?"

His mentor looked him in the eye, "First, you'll have to figure out the secret to afterlife consciousness on your own. Right now, you're existing solely on the life force I'm generating for you, but I can't do it forever. The strain will wear me out in about a week, give or take a day, hopefully enough time for you to figure it out."

"I'll have it figured out before that," Dezel stated confidently. "Now, where do we start?"

Lafarga turned and laughed as he walked. "You haven't changed a bit. Well, I suppose you have gotten better at lighting up a room." He waited for Dezel to catch up as they walked through the eastern quarter, back to the fountain. "You'll have to travel with your friends to discover your reason for existing, which can't be just for the sake of existing by the way. After that, retaining existence is merely a matter of willpower, which you have no shortage of, you stubborn mule," he smiled.

Dezel grinned ruthlessly back. "Wonder where I got that from?" he retorted. "Anyways, how is travelling with those nutballs gonna help me find a reason?" Though he'd never admit it, he was secretly delighted to be able to travel with his companions again.

"I'm certain you'll figure it out. Hell, it's practically under your nose," he answered cryptically, as they entered the inn.

Dezel groaned. "You never could give a straight answer."

The next morning, Dezel woke from his spot near Rose's bed. He didn't know why he had continued the habit. He couldn't protect her like when he had his physical form, but it gave him a sense of relief, as well as another, warmer emotion. He'd felt this particular emotion before, in a time long forgotten. He vaguely remembered it was also with Rose. The unnamed emotion continued to scorch his insides the longer he thought about Rose.

Shaking his head to focus, Dezel decided to analyze the emotion later. For now, he had to concentrate on finding his reason for existence.

Lafarga also stirred from his slumber, leaning against the far wall. He grinned broadly at Dezel, as if he knew what was going through his head. "Always wondered why you had a soft spot for her."

"Shut up," Dezel growled and made his way to the door out of their room. "You're the one who said to watch over her like a hawk. Pretty sure you threatened to feed me to a drake newt if I didn't."

His mentor chuckled. "The threat worked didn't it?" He got up and exited the room with Dezel behind him.

Lafarga stopped in the middle of the inn hallway. "Your friends are planning on investigating the Basin again." He fixed him with a pointed look, "Like the original plan was."

Dezel pushed past him saying, "Yeah, yeah."

They went outside, where the other's had already gathered in front of the fountain. Chatting amongst themselves, no one noticed Dezel and Lafarga, as they waited for Sorey and Rose to finally join them.

After a long discussion with unheard input from Dezel, the party decided to investigate Heldalf, for Dezel's sake, if for nothing else.

Though he'd never admit it, Dezel was genuinely touched, and had to turn away when Rose began to break down. Laughing at her impression of him (on the inside, of course), he whispered to himself, "Hold on Rose, I'll be back to you soon. I promise."

It could have been his imagination, but Rose seemed to hear his silent vow, but Dezel dismissed the possibility.

Lafarga took him aside as the party started for the gates. "We'll catch up with them later. I forgot to tell you, but there's one other thing we need to do before you can have exert willful consciousness."

Dezel took a last gaze after Rose, realizing that the warm, unnamed emotion was fading. In it's wake, a suffocating chill brewed inside him. The sudden storm of emotions set him on edge, making it hard to focus. "What?"

Lafarga gave him a knowing look, "We have to find Sylph, the Primal Wind Spirit. You need to gain her approval in order to form a physical body again."

"I don't suppose you know where to find her?" Dezel asked.

"She's a Primal Wind Spirit. She never stays in the same place for than a minute at a time, but I have an idea of where she'll be tomorrow. Which gives us enough time to get there."

"Where are we going?" he asked suspiciously. He didn't like the light in Lafarga's eyes.

Author's note: Hi guys, FonicEdge21 here. I've never written any fanfics before, so this is a first for me. Hope ya'll like it. Reviews and comments are totally welcome, it's the only way writers get better. Thanks.

-FonicEdge21