The world around her shifted, as if it were made of sand slipping through fingers, and she found herself standing before a great and ancient tree. Its trunk was as wide as a house, its branches reaching high into the heavens, twisting and turning into a tangle of living wood. The air around it was thick with the scent of earth and sap, and the sound of birdsong filled the air. She looked up, taking in the sight before her, her heart swelling with awe and wonder. She knew, somehow, that this was the tree she had been searching for, the one that held the key to her destiny. She reached out a trembling hand and placed it against the rough, craggy bark, feeling the life pulsing beneath her fingertips. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and let the warmth of the tree flow through her veins. And as she stood there, lost in the moment, she heard a voice whispering to her, a voice that was both ancient and yet somehow familiar. It spoke of a time long gone, of a world filled with beau