Rowan saw dirt. A barren ground where only the harshest living conditions existed. A desert that threatens to rob the lives of all living creatures, plants or animals.

  Then Rowan saw a figure. The person was unclear and blurry, as if he had been blotted out of existence. The figure was wandering the dried grounds and seemingly chose a random spot. They dropped on their knees and began digging with their hands. Once the hole was deep enough, the mysterious figure sprinkled what seemed like seeds into the hole and then began to cover it. After patting the ground, the figure got up and began walking into the distance, slowly disappearing from Rowan's vision.

  Rowan didn’t know what he was watching nor the reason why. He didn’t know if this was a dream, a vision, or a hallucination of sorts. All he knew he was stuck at the same spot the seeds were buried and forced to watch as time passed.

  Rowan observed the buried seeds for hours.

  Hours became days.

  Days became weeks.

  Weeks became months.

  Months became years.

  Rowan lost track of time as nothing changed.

  Except one day, a tiny sprout broke through the earth. There was no way the sprout could survive. There was only sun and no rain in the desert.

  However, as if to mock Rowan’s expectation, the sprout persistently endured. The young plant that started off no bigger than a fingernail slowly grew. It soon reached the height of a person and kept on growing.

  The young plant was not the only thing changing as time passed. The taller the plant grew, the more its environment changed. Grass slowly grew out of the the barren grounds. As the sprout became a tree, more plants began to grow out of the ground. It started off as a small patch but soon the grass spreaded out to its surroundings.

  Time passed as Rowan observed the changes to the environment. With the tree at the center, life flourished around it. Small animals would gather around the tree and what started off as a small patch of grass soon became a forest. The desert was no more as it had been transformed into a place teeming with life.

  The tree never stopped growing. Its height soon matched the height of mountains, yet it never stopped. Flowers would bloom and wither along with the seasons on the tree.

  Eventually the tree must have realized growth was no longer necessary and stopped. The flowers on its branches scattered into the wind. The petals moved freely and disappeared. Some would spread across the lands, while others made a particular trip.

  Rowan didn't understand what was happening. At one point, the petals were spreading through the transformed lands and then the next, the petals disappeared.

  No, not disappeared. Teleported.

  At least that is how Rowan saw it. The petals had flown from familiar lands into a completely new territory.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Rowan saw a blue sphere, filled with oceans and forests. Unfamiliar land that Rowan had never seen before. The petals would make their way into the new land and plant themselves in the ground. The buried petals would force Rowan to suddenly take a closer look at the chosen spot instead of all the other lands.

  Then the cycle repeats.

  Rowan watched in amazement as something sprouted out of the ground and over time grew into a towering majestic tree. Then the flowers would bloom once again and spread themselves elsewhere. Thankfully the passage of time seems to be faster as Rowan witness everything happening.

  The petals would spread to countless places and no one place was the same. Some adopted other creatures to help take care of it. In one place, a tree was taken care of by a new humanoid species that had long ears.

  Elves.

  They acted as caretakers and protectors while the tree nurtured their strength as a species.

  This occurred in multiple spheres. Wherever the petals spread, the land would flourish.

  However that wasn’t always a good thing. The land that flourished so much, Rowan witnessed how the gentle animals became monsters that preyed upon each other. Not only the animals changed, so did the plants.

  Too much of a good thing would eventually become harmful.

  Not all trees made it. Rowan watched as some monsters found ways to consume the tree and turn into something more. Bloody defensive battles often ensued and the guardians and caretakers would be slaughtered as a result of losing. These horrific monsters would then become peak existences that could threaten countries, if not the world. Not that Rowan was able to watch the destruction afterwards as he was pulled away before the newly evolved monsters could show off their new might.

  Something to be grateful for as Rowan did not wish to see further death and destruction.

  Rowan also learned one thing. Whatever was pulling him through this, it wanted him to focus on the trees.

  Eventually Rowan was forced to concentrate on one tiny petal making its way. It landed in a forest and grew. Elves would eventually come to take care of the tree and time passed. The elves created a small village and continued to care for the tree.

  There was something familiar about the whole scene, but Rowan couldn't quite place it. Not because he had seen similar events occurring over and over again. No, there was something else.

  Then Rowan saw something that made his eyes open in surprise.

  Humans had come into the village. Dress in armor and looked like royalty. They spoke with the elves. There was an argument, then negotiation before finally coming to an agreement.

  This was certainly new.

  Rowan had always watched the trees grow, and time was always fast forward, skipping the minor details. What was now occurring before him was surprisingly detailed.

  Rowan watched as a large group of elves left, only to return later in a much more diminished number. Then they continue their lives as normal.

  Then Rowan felt himself being grabbed and pulled forward. A change had occurred. The tree that he had been observing was no longer a small tree. It had grown to match the heights of the castle, but not enough growth for it to reach its full potential.

  However things changed one day when the skies turned red all of a sudden. The elves panicked and prepared themselves for war.

  That was when a dark monstrosity came and crashed through the village. With wings that created tornadoes and its flames as hot as lava, it left nothing but destruction in its path.The elves were helpless against its might and were slaughtered. Unlike most creatures, the monster wasn't interested in the tree. It just watched as the village burned before heading out in search of new prey.

  A legendary monster that Rowan was familiar with that appears in his nightmares.

  The black dragon.

  And that was when the teenage boy came to a realization.

  For some reason, he had been watching the history of the Mother Tree all along.