Adam's eyes snapped open, the faint shimmer of a red string of mana still visible, extending from his heart. He reached for it, his fingers passing through the ethereal thread.
"Lyra," he asked, his voice filled with a desperate hope, "is it possible for a mana signature to be connected across different worlds? Is that Emily?"
Lyra's response was immediate and stark. "Adam, from a strictly analytical perspective of mana mechanics, a direct mana signature connection between individuals across distinct dimensions or worlds is not possible. Mana signatures are unique to each world's system and its inhabitants. The only logical conclusion is that this mana signature is from this world."
Adam's hope flickered. "Then how can it be connected to Emily from my old world?"
Emily's Unseen Farewell
Lyra's presence in his mind shifted, delving into the vast records of Adam's past memories. "Adam, I have thoroughly analyzed your memories concerning Emily. While you were unaware due to your emotional state and detachment, Emily passed away in your original world, long before your transmigration."
The words hit Adam like a physical blow. "What...? No, that's not... she just stopped coming around. She gave up on me, like everyone else!"
"Your memories indicate a profound emotional block regarding her condition, Adam," Lyra explained, her voice devoid of judgment, only factual clarity. "I have processed the conversations you subtly suppressed due to your inability to cope with the reality of her illness. Emily was terminally ill with cancer in your world. Her increasing weakness, her desperate pleas for you to live for her sake, were all part of her final farewell."
"My analysis of the timeline suggests that after her last interaction with you – the memory you recalled of her begging you to live for her sake and hugging you – she passed away within that same week. There is a high probability that her soul was then reincarnated into this world, given the patterns of transmigration events that can occur. This 'red string' connection you perceive would be a manifestation of a profound soul-bond in this new reality, now made visible through your mana attunement."
The truth crashed down on Adam, brutal and unforgiving. Emily, the one person who had genuinely cared, who had seen past his pain, had been dying while he was consumed by his own despair. He had pushed her away, letting her face her final moments alone, believing she had abandoned him. The raw, gut-wrenching realization that she had been terminally ill, fighting for her own life while pleading for his, tore through him.
Tears, hot and heavy, streamed down his face. His body, regenerated and whole, now felt hollowed out by a new, deeper pain. He had broken the heart of the only person who truly loved him, not even reciprocating her unwavering affection in her last moments. The regret was a tangible weight, crushing him.
He cried, openly and without shame, for the years he'd lost, for the love he hadn't seen, for the silent suffering of the girl who had fought for him until her very last breath. Emily, his Emily, was gone from his old world, but perhaps… just perhaps… she was here, in this new, dangerous reality. The red string pulsed, a fragile thread of hope and agonizing regret.