The sky over Aldarin was unnaturally quiet, as if the dying world had drawn its final breath. The cracks in the sky had widened, glowing red lines spreading across the heavens like a shattered mirror. The ground trembled every so often, the once-stable earth now prone to sudden, violent quakes as the ley lines beneath it fractured completely.

Elandriel stood before The Bridge, her heart pounding in her chest as the swirling portal reflected the dimming light of the world they were leaving behind. The air was heavy with anticipation and fear, as hundreds of elves, orcs, dwarves, and creatures of magic gathered at the base of the shimmering doorway. They waited in anxious silence, knowing that the crossing would change everything. For most of them, this would be the last time they saw their homeland.

Elandriel could feel the magic of the portal tugging at her, its energy wild and unstable. It was a beautiful, terrifying thing, a gateway to an unknown future. She took a deep breath, glancing over her shoulder at her fellow leaders. Karg Bloodclaw stood with his warriors, their expressions grim but resolute. Brun Stoneforge was at the head of the dwarven procession, carrying the few artifacts and blueprints they had salvaged. And Dravith, in his dragon form once again, loomed behind them, his massive wings folded, his eyes glowing with both sadness and hope.

"Are we ready?" Elandriel asked, her voice barely a whisper, though the weight of the question hung heavily in the air.

Karg grunted. "As ready as we'll ever be. The longer we wait, the more unstable that thing gets. We need to move now."

Brun nodded in agreement. "The portal won't hold for much longer. If we wait, it might collapse before we're all through."

Elandriel turned to Dravith, who watched the portal with a distant gaze. "Dravith?"

The dragon spirit's voice was a low, rumbling whisper. "I can feel the ley lines collapsing. It won't be long now. The world is almost gone."

Elandriel's heart tightened, the full weight of what they were about to do pressing down on her. She took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come. "Then we go."

With a single nod, she stepped forward, approaching the portal. The swirling light reflected in her eyes as she reached out a trembling hand, her fingers brushing the surface of the shimmering doorway. The magic tingled against her skin, both familiar and alien at the same time.

Behind her, the gathered crowd watched in silence, holding their breath as their leader prepared to take the first step into the unknown.

Elandriel closed her eyes, whispering a quiet farewell to the world she had loved and protected for so long. Then, with a single step, she crossed The Bridge.

The sensation was unlike anything Elandriel had ever experienced. For a brief moment, it felt as though her entire being was pulled apart, unraveled by the chaotic energies of the portal. Time stretched and bent around her, and she saw flashes of both the world she was leaving and the world she was entering—flickers of green forests, dying trees, broken cities, and vast stretches of unfamiliar landscapes.

And then, as suddenly as it began, the sensation stopped.

Elandriel stumbled forward, gasping as her feet touched solid ground. She blinked, her vision clearing as she looked around. The air was cool and dry, devoid of the magical hum that had always been present in her world. It felt... empty.

She stood on the edge of a vast, open field. The sky above was pale blue, with a thin layer of clouds drifting lazily by. In the distance, she could see mountains—small and unassuming compared to the towering peaks of her homeland—and scattered patches of green forests. But something was missing. The vibrant pulse of magic, the connection to the ley lines, the energy that had always surrounded her—it was all gone.

This was a world without magic.

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Behind her, the shimmering portal flickered, and the rest of the group emerged. Karg was the first to step through, his eyes scanning the landscape with a mixture of suspicion and wariness. He unsheathed his sword, as if expecting an ambush, but there was no enemy to fight here. Just silence.

Brun followed, his gaze distant and thoughtful. He immediately dropped to one knee, running his hands through the soil, testing its texture and scent. "It's fertile," he muttered, almost to himself. "But different. There's no magic in the land... but it will grow crops. That's something."

She continued to wait, despite knowing that Dravith wouldn't come. Despite this, she held onto hope. For a brief moment, she thought he might change his mind and join them. However, it was his sister who stepped out of the portal, not her dear friend.

"It's so... empty." Said Seraphina, she preferred her humanoid form. Her emerald hair, long and flowing, danced without a breeze.

Elandriel nodded, though she felt a lump forming in her throat. "It's not like our world. But it's all we have now."

Behind them, the rest of their people began to cross, stepping through the unstable portal in clusters. The elves moved cautiously, their eyes wide with uncertainty, while the orcs marched forward with determination. The dwarves carried their salvaged relics, their expressions grim but resolute. And among them, a few magical creatures emerged—small sprites, glowing saplings, and enchanted animals that had managed to survive the crossing.

Elandriel's heart ached as she watched them. So few had made it. Most of the magical creatures that had once roamed their world were gone, lost in the collapse of the ley lines. What little they had managed to bring through seemed fragile and out of place in this new, magicless world.

As the last of their people crossed The Bridge, the portal flickered violently, the light dimming and brightening in rapid succession. Elandriel's breath caught in her throat as she watched the swirling energy start to destabilize. The air around it crackled with magical sparks, and she could feel the portal beginning to tear itself apart.

"We need to move away from the portal!" Brun shouted, his voice rising in urgency.

Elandriel turned to her people. "Get back! Everyone, move!"

Panic spread through the crowd as they hurried away from the unstable portal. Elandriel ran alongside them, her heart racing as the portal's light grew brighter, the swirling energy becoming erratic. Behind her, Seraphina let out a low growl, her eyes locked on the flickering doorway.

With a deafening crack, the portal collapsed in on itself. A shockwave of magical energy rippled through the air, knocking Elandriel to the ground. She shielded her face as a bright flash of light illuminated the sky. And then—silence.

When she looked up, the portal was gone. The Bridge had closed, sealing them in this new world with no way back.

For a moment, no one spoke. The crowd stood in stunned silence, staring at the spot where the portal had been. The reality of their situation hit them like a tidal wave—they were alone now, cut off from their dying world, trapped in a land without magic.

Elandriel slowly rose to her feet, dusting off her cloak. She felt a deep ache in her chest, a hollow emptiness where the connection to the ley lines used to be. Without magic, she felt... diminished, as if a part of her had been left behind in the world they had just lost.

But there was no time for sorrow. They had a new world to navigate, and their people needed leadership.

Karg was the first to break the silence. "We made it. Now we survive." He turned to his warriors, barking orders to set up camp and scout the area.

Brun approached Elandriel, his brow furrowed in thought. "It's different from what we expected," he whispered. "But we can work with this. The soil is good. We can build here."

Elandriel nodded, though her heart was heavy. "We'll have to. There's no going back now."

Seraphina stepped forward, her eyes scanning the horizon. "This world may lack magic, but it still breathes. We can still nurture it." She fluidly changes her form, spreading her wings and taking off into the sky. She flies over the new land, searching for signs of life and balance.

As the people began to settle, Elandriel stood at the edge of the field, watching the distant mountains. This was their new beginning, their second chance. But without magic, without the connection to the ley lines that had sustained them for so long, it would be a hard road.

She took a deep breath, steeling herself for the challenges ahead. They would have to build a new world from the ground up, relying on their knowledge, their technology, and their will to survive.

The world was silent, still, waiting for them to make their first move.

***

And so they began.

A bridge had been crossed, but the path ahead was uncertain. Elandriel, Karg, Brun, and Seraphina had led their people through the collapse of one world into the dawn of another. Now, they stood on the edge of the unknown, ready to carve out a new existence in a land without magic.

They had survived the crossing.

Now, they had to survive the world beyond.

Any of them felt the first waves of magic spreading in this new world. None of them realized that even the tiniest specimen or artifact that passed through the Bridge carried magic with them into their new home.