Series/Game: Skies of Arcadia Legends.

PROLOGUE - Broaden our Horizons

X year, X month, X day

My travels have once more brought me to the dark skies of the North Ocean. I don't know for how long I'll be staying, but I won't be leaving anytime soon, that's for sure. Sources say the legendary discovery the "Magical Ward" is located somewhere around these parts, between the lands of Ixa'Taka and Valua... But I've yet to find it. Since I'm running low on fuel, I'm currently staying at Gordo's Bistro to get stocked up on Moon Stones. Yeah, that fat old fella and I go way back. I'm treated as some kind of regular by now.

Since Gordo's a former Air Pirate (though a Black Pirate at that), he's being kind enough to spare a few Moon Stones for me. ... When is the food coming, anyway? I'm starving.

Domingo

"Sir... ...? Sir? Excuse me, sir!"

The flashy young waitress watched Domingo with a worried, yet slightly amused expression. The regular discovery hunter had fallen asleep in his well-used chair with his hand still grabbing a bottle of spicy loqua.

The tip of one of Domingo's long, black and pointy bangs got in his face, and he woke up with an annoyed moan. Scratching the back of his head with the telescope he always carried with him, he sat up straight and tried to get the sleep out of his eyes.

"Ugh... Now what?" he mumled, forgetting his manners completely.

The pretty waitress leaned towards his table with a friendly smile.

"It's closing time, sir. And you haven't paid the tab yet."

Domingo gave the half-eaten food on the plates a skeptical look and smiled back at the waitress.

"Sky sardis. Can't you think of anything more... uncommon nowadays? Eating this everyday, I swear, I'm gonna get poisoned."

The surprised waitress laughed at Domingo's comment, completely taken in by the young sailor's obvious charm.

"You're new here, aren't you?" Domingo remarked, slightly leaning towards her, still with that disarming smile of his. He certainly knew his ways.

The waitress immediately had to look away.

"Well... I'm trying to make a living..." she replied in a lower, more insecure tone.

Domingo stood up in his full length in front of her.

"Tell ya what... Instead of paying with gold, I can give you a kiss!"

The poor girl held the tray in front of her face and giggled delightfully.

"Sir, you're drunk!"

Domingo raised an eyebrow and watched her, playing offended.

"No, I'm not!"

He watched as the confused waitress ran away to her room, giggling and blushing like a school girl, and shook his head, making his long pony-tail fall over his right shoulder.

"Works every time. ... I think?"

Domingo decided that it was time to leave the bistro. For some reason, he didn't feel very clear in the head at the moment. Maybe I drank too much loqua, he thought to himself.

To Domingo's delightment, his ship had gotten enough fuel to last him for a couple of weeks or so. After quickly getting his bearings, he took off into the clouds.

Where would he search next?
Where hadn't he searched yet?

Somehow, Domingo didn't feel the excitement of discovery hunting as usual. It had been like that for a couple of days now, and he got even more bored and frustrated because of it.

It got darker as time passed, and the North Ocean felt if possible even more empty and lonely. Domingo removed his telescope and got back to the small bridge of his ship. He laid anchor at a nearby isle and soon got into his hammock to sleep. But he couldn't even close his eyes.

"This feels like a daily routine nowadays", he mumbled to himself. "Eat, drink your eyeballs out, run from the tab, look around into nothingness... and sleep."

He let out a deep sigh.

"Nah. Cut out the 'sleep' part. Damn, I owe Gordo too much by now."

What was it that he had heard about the "Magical Ward", anyway? Nothing, except for its rather diffuse location. Something inside of him didn't even want to continue looking for it anymore.

"Could it be in a higher or lower altitude?"

No, that wasn't possible. No one could fly that high with a normal ship.

Domingo immediately sat up, causing him to almost fall off of his hammock.

"That's it!" he yelled, with increasing enthusiasm. "A ship that can raise and lower its altitude, almost all the way up to space and down to Deep Sky! If I can find something like that..."

His smile suddenly faded and he lay down again.

"And where would I find that? Stupid... I've never heard of something like that in my life."

He silently closed his eyes, listening to the humming sound of the ship's engine.

"... If I ask around at Sailor's Island, I might be able to get some information. Who knows..."

With that said, Domingo finally fell asleep, with at least some renewed hope for the morning after.

He woke up at dawn, feeling completely refreshed, which was a feeling that he had missed for long.

If he could fly above and beneath the clouds, maybe he wouldn't be able to find the "Magical Ward", but he would be sure to find something else. Just something, as long as he could get his so called "discovery spark" back.

With a bitter, yet slightly indifferent expression, Domingo set his course to the south, trying to convince himself that this time, he would get closer to what he desired the most - knowledge of all beyond.