Title: chasing dreams
Series: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Gen, Friendship/Love, Introspection
Character(s)/Pairing(s): Mikleo/Sorey. In this chapter - Elysians, and mentions of Zenrus.
Warnings: All the spoilers and possible post-game feels. Also, steampunk/solarpunk fantasy Glenwood(?)
Summary: Of rediscovery and finding his way through the dark.
A/N: Many thanks to Namio/Bagel for helping me beta the epilogue.
Music inspiration for scene#11: Harmonia ~Mihatenu Chi e~ (Harmonia ~To The Neverending Lands~) by Shikata Akiko.

chasing dreams

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epilogue.

And so, he stayed in Elysia, taking up residence with Mikleo in Zenrus' old home. He could have moved back into his old house; the Elysians – his family – would have gladly reshuffled some things around and made room for him, he knew. But Sorey had declined their offer, had very much preferred that they continued using it as their library and study, as their favourite place of gathering when sharing stories by the fireplace.

Living alongside remnants of a youth he only distantly remembered – seventeen human years, burning bright through the march of time in a flicker of orange flame – he found the memories came easier. It came easier when he didn't delve in too often, too deep when searching for the bits and pieces, when he allowed to them to resurface on their own, tiny bubbles of imagery rising steadily through the void to break the surf. Some memories he could never seem to fully recall, however hard he tried. It saddened him, at first, and it always came with a sense of loss he knew he would never be able to fully articulate. But Sorey being Sorey – as Mikleo, and then Natalie, Medea and Ed, were wont to affectionately remind him – he did not stay discouraged for long. He chose instead to honour the ghosts, the whispers of these pasts by re-learning them, committing the knowledge to heart.

Ultimately, he spent two whole happy years in Elysia, settling into the daily bustle of idyllic village life while exploring the network of ruins that ran along the ridge of Mt. Mabinogio and its underground labyrinths. And even then, it hadn't been enough – unable to resist the desire, the wanderlust any longer, Sorey eventually decided to venture out once more into the world, with Mikleo by his side as always.

Mikleo was slow to rise in the mornings, but Sorey had always been a child of the sun and boundless skies, of gentle rumbles amidst the gathering of clouds, of impassioned wanderlust through unending green fields and crumbling monuments steeped in legend and mystery. He rose with the sun, and was now picking his way through dappled light and mist to the wooded area south of the village. It was the morning he and Mikleo would leave Elysia to visit their old friends in Ladylake and Rayfalke before heading for an expedition to the north. Mikleo had spoken of the wonders of fire-spewing mountains and a land covered completely in ice, and Sorey had been eager to see the sights with his own eyes.

Before they set out on their journey, he'd wanted to check on the elysalark fledgelings Sofie had found chirping helplessly on the ground two days before. She had insisted on bringing them home and nursing them, but Sorey had advised her against it.

"They'll never learn to fly or fend for themselves otherwise," he'd told her gently, as they returned the baby birds back into their nest. "Once they are safely back in their nest, their parents will return and continue to raise them."

So here he was, halfway up the massive tree, to check on the nest and the fledgelings. Balanced precariously on a sturdy bough, he peered through the leaves at the nest snuggled between the branches. The fledglings twitched and chirped when they sensed his presence, their beady eyes still half-closed from sleep.

"Hello," Sorey greeted softly, lips quirked into a smile. "Mikleo and I are going off on a journey, so I thought I'd come to say good-bye. I'm not sure when we'll be back home again, but you'll probably make it out of the nest way before we return. Be safe, little friends; may the wind under your wings keep you aloft and bring you to where luck dances."

"Sorey?"

He heard Mikleo's voice wafting up between the thick branches, followed by a rustling of leaves. Soon enough, the water seraph appeared in view and hauled himself up the bough to sit beside him.

"Are the baby elysalarks doing all right?" Mikleo asked as he peered past Sorey's shoulder.

"As fine as ever. In fact, I think they might be able to leave the nest before the next full moon."

They watched the fledglings for a while longer, before they bid a final farewell and carefully made their way down the tree. They were past the mid-section of the trunk when the branch Mikleo was holding onto creak noisily, snapping in half. Losing his grip, he slipped down the trunk, and might have had hit the ground in a painful landing if Sorey had not reached out in time, one arm curled around Mikleo's torso as he grasped onto a branch with the other.

"Thanks," Mikleo gasped, catching his breath. Sorey grinned as an idea came to him then, green eyes glimmering with mischief. Leaning close, he nuzzled the space between the base of Mikleo's neck and his collarbone where he knew his friend was most sensitive, and was rewarded with another gasp of surprise.

" Sorey, " Mikleo hissed, not quite able to hold back a chuckle, his cheek dusted pink. Sorey only grinned wider, and would have continued nuzzling, but the branch he'd held onto was creaking, strained from their weight. There was sharp snapping sound and the two were sent tumbling through the leaves, before landing unceremoniously on the grass in a tangle of limbs.

"That was definitely all your fault," Mikleo wheezed at length, propping himself up against his elbows as he tried to shift from under Sorey's dead weight. Sorey smiled a silly sort of smile, offering a sheepish apology before he pulled away. Mikleo's mild discomfort at having fallen out of a tree didn't last however. The water seraph took one glance at him and burst out laughing, much to Sorey's confusion.

"Feathers are a much better look for you," Mikleo said, eyes crinkling with mirth as he reached forward to pluck out a number of stray leaves and twigs stuck in Sorey's hair. Sorey ran his fingers through his shock of hair, brushing out the leaves. He'd had the tendency to have things caught in long strands of loose hair, and because of that, he'd eventually cut his hair and kept it short, so that it now looked similar to the mussed-up style he'd worn as a human youth.

As he carded his fingers through the gold-tipped strands, Sorey brushed against his feathered ear cuffs. The feathered ornaments were mismatched now, due to an incident in a labyrinth of the Mabinogio ruins many months ago (the same incident, in fact, that had gotten him to trim off his long locks) – one ornament had fallen off, much to his dismay. But Mikleo had been good enough to help him replace it with the spare feathers from the leather band he'd previously used to tie his long hair. So now he wore mismatched feathered ear cuffs – one yellow and one a bright orange.

"I wish you had kept your hair long, though. It was a really nice length," Sorey mused, the shine and gloss of Mikleo's hair catching his eye. He thought appreciatively of the silky, lustrous texture of silver-white strands between his palms.

Mikleo fingered a loose strand in his hand, humming softly. He had also trimmed his hair at about the same time as Sorey did, but had decided he liked wearing it longer, leaving the radiant turquoise tips to hang loose around his shoulders.

"It was about time for a trim anyway," he said simply. "Besides, I don't want to end up looking unkempt like wandering riff-raff, much like a certain someone we both know."

Sorey only chuckled in agreement, before another idea struck him. "Here," he said, pulling Mikleo close so he could run his fingers through his friend's hair. He gathered a small bunch to one side, and began braiding the locks together, securing it with the leather band (that he'd always worn around his left wrist) with the one remaining feather. Once he was done, Sorey drew back to admire his work, beaming brightly at Mikleo.

"We match now!" he said, touching the orange feather in Mikleo's braid.

"That we do," Mikleo nodded, grinning lightly. He raised a hand, affectionately tapping the tip of Sorey's nose with a gentle flick of his fingers. "Come on. Let's go say good-bye to everyone before we set out."

They made their way back, to where the Elysians were standing clustered together by the small pool at the centre of the village. Medea and Melody were already reaching for their hands and embracing them as they bade them a tearful good-bye; Lawrence, Shaun and even Kyme were chortling raucously, patting and waving them off to their exploration with many blessings and warm wishes.

Sorey crouched low to where the human children – Sofie, Wiggins, Jon and Shino – stood huddled together, their expressions forlorn. Sofie threw her small arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"You'll definitely come back again, won't you?" Wiggins asked sadly as he gazed at Mikleo, who had also knelt to embrace the children.

"Of course we will," Mikleo said with his best smile. "I haven't failed to return to Elysia after my previous expeditions, have I? And I'll make sure Sorey doesn't get lost out there by himself in the big world either."

The children laughed, heartened by his promise and hugged them both again.

Sorey turned then towards Phoenix, who had balanced himself on a nearby boulder and who had been observing them silently in that time. The normin looked up at him, tiny arms folded importantly over his chest.

"I don't usually dole out praises, but you've grown into a fine young seraph, little one," Phoenix said with a sagely nod of his head. "Most of it is thanks to me, of course. And while I will soon begin preparations with my normin brethren for the next Uprising, I am not so unkind as to forget our promise. I will do my part to protect this domain in your and little Meebo's stead, so fret not– h-hey, wait, what are you doing?!"

Sorey grinned, lifting the normin up so he could embrace him. "Thank you, Phoenix. For always watching over me and for your guidance. I'm immensely grateful to have you with me. Be well and I promise, I'll return to see you again too."

Phoenix blinked, before he turned his face haughtily away. He made a grumbling noise in his throat, rubbing tiny paws over his eyes now as he muttered, "Baby seraphs and their penchant for dewy-eyed sentiments."

As the two young seraphim set out, passing through the painted archways that would lead them out into the world again, Sorey paused, glancing back at his family one last time. The Elysians waved, bidding him one final farewell and he smiled, the slow electric tingle of realisation in every fibre of his being filling his chest with warmth.

This is my answer, he thought simply, and he knew it to be true.

Elysia would always be his first home, a place he would return to eventually to settle, to eternal rest someday. But Mikleo, the ruins, the boundlessness of Glenwood and the world beyond them, his seraphim and human friends – they were all a part of him. And he would always carry them – each memory a beat of pulsing stardust – within his heart wherever he went, to whatever new adventure and discovery that awaited him as they went forth on their journey.

Sorey would move forward, with Mikleo always close beside him and–

We'll go together, side by side, to whatever comes our way.

–together, their laughter dancing lightly in the wind, they continued onwards, chasing dreams.

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-End-

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Thank you so much to everyone who left a review and favourited this fic! It's been a whirl of post-canon feels, and I'm happy to have been able to share them with you. I hope you've enjoyed reading it as much as I've loved writing it. Thanks also to my skype and zesty twitter friends who offered all the encouragement and were patient enough to let me to keysmash tl;dr emotions+shitposting memes into their chatbox LOL. This fic is written with much love for you all ❤ ❤

Happy holidays and here's to a better, kinder 2017 that awaits us! (are you guys ready for more sleepless TOZ-X Sunday nights when S2 airs next week? lmao fml)