______
Lucina
"No," I whispered, my voice trembling but strong, carrying more resolve than I had felt in days. My fingers tightened around the hilt of the ornate blade at my side, its polished surface reflecting the gentle glow of the surrounding light. The warmth pulsing through me was unmistakable—it was the holy power, the sacred life force of my ancestor, returning like a river flowing back into my veins. Every nerve in my body hummed with it, grounding me, giving me strength.
"I've regained my power…" The words barely escaped my lips, yet they carried a promise—a promise I would protect him at all costs. My heart fluttered as a dizzying rush of energy enveloped the small, precious bundle cradled against my chest. The holy light embraced us both, and for a fleeting moment, the world seemed to hold its breath. This power… this holy energy… it was for him, and him alone.
A soft, deliberate voice cut through the shimmering air, steady and commanding. "I'm glad you got your power back, but there's one thing you should keep in mind."
I looked up, my brow furrowed, unease creeping into my chest. "What do you mean…?"
His golden eyes, so familiar and piercing, met mine with an unwavering seriousness. "Holy power isn't limitless. Its strength diminishes with every use. Be careful how often you rely on it."
The words sank into me like ice water, chilling me to my core. Suddenly, memories of past failures flickered through my mind—the dizzy spells, the overwhelming exhaustion, the times I had collapsed from overextending myself. My body had always borne the price of wielding this sacred gift. "…I always felt dizzy after using it," I murmured, voice catching. "…Sometimes, I even fainted."
I hugged the baby closer, the weight of responsibility pressing down on me. "I understand. I'll only use it… to treat Hakan." My tone was soft, but my resolve hardened with every word.
The King nodded, a shadow of urgency passing over his face. "Since time is of the essence, I will use my power to send you straight to Kashudak."
At that moment, my lady-in-waiting approached, her expression painted with worry and fear. Her eyes shone with concern, reflecting her silent plea. "But I won't be able to bring you back," she said softly. "You'll have to figure that out on your own, Lucina."
Despite the daunting reality of facing Kashudak alone, a wave of gratitude washed over me. "Thank you… Your Eminence," I whispered, my lips trembling as I formed a silent vow in my heart: I would succeed. I must succeed.
Her gaze lingered on me, pleading, almost desperate. "It would be… comforting, if you could go with her…" she murmured, reaching out as if to hold onto me a little longer.
The King stepped forward, his aura solemn yet firm. "As I mentioned, there are limits to what holy power can do," he said, glancing briefly at my attendant before returning his gaze to me. "I used an excessive amount not long ago. The best I can do… is send you to Kashudak on your own."
His words hit me like a stone to the chest. The weight of it—of everything—pressed down. My eyes widened, reflecting both regret and guilt. Because of me… his power…
I swallowed hard, a lump forming in my throat. I couldn't bear the thought that my actions had drained him. But there was no time to dwell on guilt. I had to move forward. I had to save Hakan.
---
"Make sure you come back safely," my lady-in-waiting said, her voice thick with emotion as she gently squeezed my hand. "I care about Hakan, yes, but… you are precious to me as well."
I nodded, meeting her gaze with a reassuring smile. "Okay. I promise I'll look after myself," I said, my voice steady, though my heart ached at the thought of leaving her behind.
A sudden whoosh of holy power swirled around me, lifting me from the familiar warmth of the palace. In an instant, the world shifted, and I was deposited onto a blanket of thick, glistening snow. CRUNCH. CRUNCH. My protective light faded, leaving me exposed to the merciless cold of Kashudak.
My boots sank deep into the snow with every step. PLOP. PLOP. "It's… hard to walk," I muttered, frustration lacing my tone. "My feet keep sinking… I need to find him soon…"
The frozen landscape stretched endlessly before me, a silent, unforgiving expanse of white. I wrapped my fur-trimmed cloak tighter around my shoulders, shivering despite the layers, and pressed onward, each step a struggle against the thick snow. Suddenly, I stumbled, barely catching myself with a gloved hand. "Ah!"
THUMP. Something fell from my grasp.
"Oh no… the necklace!" Panic surged through me as I looked down at the delicate chain lying in the snow. My fingers trembled as I picked it up, a faint glow emanating from the pendant.
I held it close, SQUEEZE. The warmth radiating from the stone was comforting, confusing. "It's… getting warmer…"
Then, realization sparked like a flame in my chest. The glow, the warmth—it was a beacon, a sign. "That could be a sign that Hakan is somewhere nearby!"
Clutching the pendant as though it were a lifeline, I pushed forward, plunging through the snow with renewed determination. DASH. SWISH. The terrain leveled slightly, and I paused, scanning the vast white expanse for any sign of him.
"IS THAT…"
My breath caught in my throat as my eyes fell on a dark, motionless figure lying in the snow.
"HAKAN!"
I ran toward him, my world narrowing to the man lying unconscious, half-buried in the deadly cold. DU DUN.
---
"Make sure you come back safely," the woman said, her voice filled with genuine warmth as she squeezed my hand. The touch was light but grounding, a small anchor in the storm of my worry. "I care about Hakan a lot, but you're also very precious to me."
I returned her gaze, and in that moment, I poured every ounce of determination, every promise unspoken, into my eyes. "Okay, I promise I'll look after myself," I said, giving a firm nod, feeling the weight of responsibility settle on my shoulders with renewed clarity.
A sudden WHOOSH of holy power enveloped me, a blinding, almost tangible swirl of warmth and light. And in the next instant, I landed on a thick, powdery blanket of snow in Kashudak. CRUNCH. CRUNCH. The holy power dissipated, leaving me exposed to the harsh, unforgiving cold. My boots sank deep into the icy ground with every step. PLOP. PLOP.
"It's… hard to walk because my feet keep sinking into the snow," I thought, muscles straining as I lifted my heavy cloak against the biting wind. The endless white of the landscape stretched around me, silent and desolate, but my resolve hardened. "I need to find him… soon…"
I pushed forward, each step a battle against the snow and the growing chill. Then, suddenly, I stumbled. "Ah!" I cried, catching myself just as a soft THUMP echoed in the frozen air.
"Oh no, the necklace…!" Panic surged through me as I looked down to see the pendant lying in the snow. The chain shimmered faintly under the pale light, almost as if calling to me.
I knelt quickly, reaching for it. As my fingers closed around the stone, a sudden GLOW pulsed from it, bright and impossibly warm. Huh? I tightened my grasp. SQUEEZE. The warmth spread into my palm, a comforting, living presence. "It's… getting warmer…" A spark of hope ignited in my chest. "That could be a sign… Hakan is nearby!"
With renewed urgency, I pressed forward, breaking into a desperate run. DASH. SWISH. Snow sprayed around my boots as I scrambled across the frozen expanse. My breath came in ragged bursts, clouding in the icy air, but I didn't stop.
And then I saw it—a small, dark form lying motionless in the distance. My heart leapt violently into my throat. "IS THAT…?"
"HAKAN!" I screamed, my voice cracking with desperation and relief.
I rushed to his side. DU DUN. He lay half-buried in snow, his body unnaturally still. "Hakan?" I whispered, kneeling beside him, my fingers trembling as I pressed against his cold, rigid frame. The icy chill seeped through my gloves, and panic clawed at my chest. "His body feels so cold… his heartbeat is so faint…"
FWISH. BA-BLUM. I pressed my cheek to his chest, counting the slow, uneven rhythm of his heart, fear gripping me with icy fingers. "Was he… exposed to the cold for too long? I have to warm him…"
I carefully wrapped my cloak around him, tucking the folds against his body, then gently pulled him into my embrace. SLIDE. GENTLY. My arms trembled as I held him close. "I'm here, Hakan… can you feel me?" I whispered, squeezing him tighter, my own breaths ragged with exertion and panic. PANT. PANT.
Summoning the holy power that had returned to me, I placed my hands over the wound, letting the warmth radiate from my palms into him. Every thought, every shred of will focused solely on keeping him alive. The light flowed steadily, a comforting glow in the cold wasteland.
"I'm done!" I murmured, my lips brushing his ear. "You're fine now, Hakan. I healed your wound." I checked his chest again. But he still didn't stir. "Hakan?"
A new wave of fear surged through me, tighter and more suffocating than the last. Tears welled in my eyes, trickling down my cheeks. I stroked his face softly, pleading with my voice and touch. "Open your eyes… look at me, Hakan…"
His eyelids fluttered, dark and heavy, before slowly lifting. His voice came out weak, barely above a whisper, yet each word carried the weight of everything we had endured. "Thanks to you… our child is safe and sound." Relief and love flooded me, my knees nearly giving way from the emotion. "Let's go back… together… to them."
He was alive. Truly alive. The relief was overwhelming, a tide that threatened to drown me in tears. I embraced him again, burying my face in his chest, inhaling the faint, comforting warmth of his presence. "Hurry… hold me in your arms," I murmured, pulling back just enough to see the small, tearful smile that curved his lips.
"Tell me… how much you love me," I whispered, voice breaking.
His fingers weakly tapped my cheek. TAP. STROKE. Though he could not speak, his touch was a universe of meaning, radiating all the love, gratitude, and trust words could never convey.
Absolutely! Here's a rich, novel-style expansion of your passage, keeping the focus on emotion, environment, and tension, stopping precisely at the point you indicated:
The Dragon King's Bride – Episode 85: Novel Expansion – The Aftermath of the Kiss
I had been lost in the overwhelming ecstasy of his touch—the relief of seeing him alive, the fierce love in his eyes, and the silent promises etched into every gesture. He couldn't speak, yet the way his fingers brushed against my cheek, the gentle tap, conveyed a thousand words I longed to hear. His gaze held tenderness, warmth, and an unspoken plea: Do you know how much I missed you?
"I do," I whispered, my voice trembling as I answered the question that hadn't needed words. Every beat of my heart echoed it.
He leaned closer, and our lips met. The long, deep KISS erased the cold, the fear, the snow, and the danger surrounding us. My hand found his cheek, holding him close as if anchoring him to reality—and to me.
"Because I missed you, too," I thought, my every fiber vibrating with the truth of it, as we clung to each other in the endless whiteness of Kashudak. The world narrowed to that one shared moment, every sound, every heartbeat, fading into the background.
When we finally parted, breathing heavily, the intensity of our connection slowly gave way to the biting cold pressing against us. I shook my head slightly, forcing myself to focus. "We have to get out of here right now," I said, determination sharpening my voice. My fingers closed around the glowing necklace tucked in my cloak. The stone still radiated warmth, pulsing like a heartbeat in my palm.
"It seems… this necklace is a magical compass," I explained, holding it up so the soft light spilled onto his face. "It glows brighter the closer we get to the entrance to the Divine Realm."
A faint, exhausted sound escaped him. PANT. "I can feel the power of the Divine Realm…" His words were weak, raspy, yet carried a spark of hope.
I forced a small, encouraging smile, though fatigue tugged at my limbs. "We should start walking while the magical light still covers us," I said. "It's our only chance. We can make it there."
He glanced at me, worry flickering across his golden eyes. "But you look tired," he said gently, brow furrowed with concern.
"I'm fine," I insisted, pushing aside the lingering weakness from using my holy power. "We just have to trust this light and move forward."
CRUNCH. CRUNCH. CRUNCH. Snow crunched under our boots as we moved side by side. He offered me his arm, and I leaned into him, drawing strength from his proximity. The cold bit at our cheeks, but the warmth between us—our shared heartbeat—kept the shivering at bay.
"How did you get here?" he asked, voice gaining a little strength, curiosity mixed with concern.
I explained briefly, recounting the situation back at the palace—the King's weakened state, the reason I could not be brought back, and how he had been forced to send me here alone. "The King was only able to send me after his power diminished," I said softly. "I can't return the same way."
A shadow passed over his face, and his expression darkened. "I knew it," he muttered, then his gaze swept across the frozen expanse, fierce and unyielding. "I won't let them do as they please."
I sensed what he meant—the forces that had driven him out, the lingering threat that still hung over us. "We can worry about that later," I urged, trying to redirect his focus. "Right now, we need to focus on escaping."
"I won't be separated from you again," he declared, his hand tightening around mine. The silent vow resonated deep within me, warming me more than any holy light could.
This stops exactly at the moment you indicated, capturing their emotions, the environment, and the tension of survival while keeping the focus on their bond.