SEA

I woke up to the sound of bustling streets, vendors selling goods and hagglers doing their thing too. Children chasing each other around, and parents going about their business.
It was as if there wasn't a war the day before.

“You did this, you know?” Usasha said.

“Yeah, I know, I mean it's partly in fact to you, your son and Cassandra! If it wasn't for you guys, but specifically you, I would've probably been mush, and Eledrica relegated to history forever!”

“Well, you are a fast learner after all!” Usasha continued, “Ah! I almost forgot, Silus is now awake, he sends his regards… Although it will be a little while longer before he can summon you again.”

“That's quite okay, thank you for telling me, Usasha.”

“Oh, it's nothing, dearest, now go, it seems you have a visitor!”

Just then, my door opened slightly, creaking as it went;
A head peeked through the small opening,
It was Cassandra.

“My! You're up! Tulote he uh, sent me to check if you had woken up yet… Something about more work being done.”

“Haha, thanks, Cass, oh and Good morning to you too!”

“Oh!” She said frightened, “It seems I've forgotten my manners, Good morning Arda! How are you today?”

“Well, all things considered, I'm doing pretty good! Haven't had the chance to sleep at all these past few days, so this is a nice change of pace. How are you doing?”

“Me? Oh! I'm just up and about, you know, doing leadership things, attending meetings, the usual.” She said with a smile.

“My, I've never been able to keep up with the politics of leading at all, nor do I want to if I'm being entirely honest.”

“Oh, tell me about it. I'd be a librarian if I wasn't elf royalty, but, duty calls, I suppose.”

“I mean, when this war is over, you can always open a library.”

“How I wish to be as optimistic as you.” She said with a slight chuckle, “I'll meet you at the top of the world tree when you're done!”

As I began my ascent, it felt magical.
I walked down hallowed halls, with portraits of various notable elf figures hanging on each side. As I continued, maids greeted me, soldiers stood at attention, and regular civilians looked on in awe; I would never get used to this.
With great power comes great responsibility, I think I've heard that somewhere

It still feels so surreal having so many people trust in me to this degree
I have been told that I am hope incarnate by Tulote, but with each passing day, the weight becomes increasingly evident...

As I continued up, the air felt alive. It smelt of damp earth, and oh so indescribably ancient. The rustling of leaves became even more pronounced the higher I went. 
Giant, luminescent fungi, some spiralling upwards, others forming glowing platforms, were abundant in all their beautiful "glowry" 
Higher still, the branches became a landscape in themselves, and strange birds with wingspans like small gliders soared past. Clouds now swirled below, appearing as soft, almost cotton-like blobs. It truly was amazing.

Finally, after what felt like ages, I arrived at the top, and what a beautiful sight.
It was a vast, shimmering dome.

"Ayy ain't she a beauty!" a dwarf came in "She's nae made of glass nor metal, but pure starlight I tell ye! My grandparents, grandparents, built it when Empress Usasha was still around!" The drawf then scurried away.

Its surface was perfectly smooth, yet somehow, it seemed to ripple... As though it were a pool.
Around the base of the dome, the very last, uppermost branches of the world tree curled inwards.
The air was utterly still, so still that you could hear yourself breathe.

The surrounding "sky" wasn't blue, but an infinite, velvety black, densely populated with stars that appeared so close and so numerous... Was this deep space?

"Here, we stand at the nexus of it all..." Cassandra said.

"This is the Dome of the Imperium," Tulote said, "My parents, siblings and I would always meet here during times of war, or to settle disputes among the races, now I am the only one left..."

"You're never alone Tulote, you've got us all; now, I figure this has something to do with the 'zone one' thing we briefly spoke on last night?"

"Right. The Elven frontier has been cleared of the demonic forces, and if there are any left, they should offer little to no resistance at all. After all, their supply line with Dietha's main forces is severed and as we know..."

"The closer the demons are to Dietha's presence, the stronger they are," Cassandra said.

"So, now that we've secured zone one, where is zone two?"

"The Dwarven Sea, we must free the Imperial Navy, for they hold the vast quantity of our ships and with that, many souls aboard."

"They have kept in contact with us during the duration of the war, but have been bogged down by Dietha's forces for over two years."

"So our goal is to break through Dietha's encirclement, restore the supply line and clear the Dwarven sea, in essence, right?"

"Precisely."

"Well, that is easier said than done..."

"Yes, as you know, we've sent the vast majority of our fleet to secure the dwarven sea, only leaving behind a few corvettes and ketches and sloops to patrol the coastline, and none of them are sea-worthy enough to fight the horrors that the demonic navy has."

"What exactly are we talking about here?"

"So, roughly 15 years ago, I dispatched the Navy, headed by Fleet Admiral Kiev Valenski. With him, he took his flagship first-rate, The Indispensible, thirty second-rate ships, about fifty man-of-war and a sizeable number of other vessels."

"So you're saying that, even with all that firepower, and factoring in the fact that the Fleet Admiral was unable to break the demonic navy's resolve, well, quite the opposite, rules the ships we have as inadequate."

"Spot on", Cassandra said.

"So what do we do?"

"I've tried everything there is to try, but to no avail. I've commissioned ships to be built, but due to supply chain issues, the materials needed have not yet been delivered, and even though that is no longer an issue-"

"The ships will still take a while to construct."

"And we do not have that time."

"So what do we do?"

"Aye, I couldn't help but eavesdrop on yer conversation! See, the talk of ships riles me up like ye ole days."

"Ah, Triton, it's always a pleasure to have you!"

"You don't know a way you could help us, do you?" I said

"Oh yes, oh yes, say my Lord, you remember his late brother Aquarius' ship?"

"The one that went missing? Yes, I remember."

"Well, it ain't quite so missing. You see, when his heroship died, he left my grandfather, who was second in command to him, the mantle of Fleet Admiral." Triton continued, "After the great battle with the betrayer, my grandfather stored away the ship for good."

"WAIT? ARE YOU SAYING THAT MY BROTHER'S SHIP? HIS LEGACY IS STILL ALIVE?!"

"Rightfully so. We just need to restore it and make her seaworthy again. She has been in my family's dry docks for centuries now."

"Take us to it, Triton!"

"Aye, I will."

We scurried down to the shoreline to a vast cliff.

"I sense something here, something big," I said

"What you sense is The Obsidian Maw."

The cliff opened up to reveal a massive dry dock, and in it, a large, beautiful ship.

Tulote fell to his knees.

"Oh my brother, you truly have returned to me."

"Aye, she was a terror of the seas, a TRUE first-rate ship that commanded respect and fear in equal measure. Yea thou, with time, and many battles, it's taken its toll." Triton continued. "I'll find you her blueprints and a picture of her so that we can restore her to pristine condition"

Not long after, Triton came running back with a handful of blueprints.

She was a majestic ship.
Her hull was a sleek, intimidating black, but had now been a patchwork of faded charcoal and raw, exposed wood. Barnacles clung in thick clusters near the waterline, and streaks of rust were at every iron fitting.
One could, however, spot the clear lines of once-gilded carvings - fierce dragon heads, and mystical beasts - along her bow and stern, but much of the gold has flaked off, leaving it feeling empty.
Cannon ports, some missing their heavy wooden covers entirely, revealed dark, long, silent muzzles within. A few of the heavy gunports were jammed halfway open, canted awkwardly.
The great stern lanterns were now broken and empty...

"Well, ye be despite her state, she is still a defiant beast. And with a bit of work, she WILL be sea worthy again. I'll just gather my brethren and all my sea dogs for one last project. This isn't just for Aquarius's namesake, nae be it, this is for our land once more."

And with that, work began on The Obsidian Maw