Keele Zeibel

Character
When Keele is first introduced, there is no mistake that he is flat out rude, which Meredy even states in game. After spending years as a child being a crybaby, Keele grew up in the University setting where he covered up his insecurities with his intelligence and smugness. He even knows he is rude towards others, but chooses to ignore it. To him, his studies and research are first priority.

Farah and Reid claim that Keele "hasn't changed one bit" from the last time they saw him (which is estimated to be when Keele was 7 or 8). It is true in a sense as Keele is still clumsy and a crybaby-- Not in the sense that he busts out crying over trivial things anymore-- but more along the lines that he has replaced his tears with his aloof attitute.

In essence, Keele is a true scientist. He stopped believing in childish fantasies and based his entire world on what could be tangibly proven through science. The University gave him a power he didn't have as a child. Since he was obviously very intelligent from the start, he used this to boost himself up. He became very anti-social and stubborn.

Even though Keele is obviously the smartest playable character in the party, he is completely clueless when it comes to the real world. Having spent so much time wrapped in his studies and books of facts, he cannot see in shades of grey at first. Things are either black or white, true or false. This is why Keele is so stubborn and hard to deal with, because he has based his entire life on right and wrong. Through the journey, he evolves away from this shell of his and manages to see the "maybes" and to believe based on faith alone.

It is possible that Keele and Meredy have feelings for each other. Although Keele was initially being very rude to Meredy, as the game progressed he eventually cared about Meredy. There are some proofs, most notably the ending scene. In the manga version of Tales of Eternia, their feelings for each other are more obvious.

Story
Keele grew up in Rasheans with his parents, Gizro and Lamina. He was friends with Reid and Farah and was involved in going to Regulus Knoll in search of "star fragments." At 13, he enrolled in Minche University, where he became head of Light Craymelology. He created the theory of World Chain Destruction, for which he was kicked out of the University. He left for the Mt. Minche Observatory, which is where Reid, Farah, and Meredy eventually find him. At the end of the game, he chooses to stay in Celestia with Meredy.