The Grand Fall

Here's the translated text of the first chapter of your novel:

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At the top of Mount Oronos, east of the city of Athenos, where the City of Happiness stretches, stood a small house belonging to one of the city guards, Mr. Carlos, and his wife, Karina.

With hurried steps, Karina ascended to the attic, her heart racing with an unexplained anxiety. She quickly pushed the door open, but the room appeared completely empty. There was no sign of Shu! Her eyes widened, and she froze for a moment before descending the stairs with unsteady steps.

— Carlos, do you know where Shu went?

He raised his head from his seat, his expression calm as usual. "I don't know; he might have gone to the city."

Her eyes widened with concern. "To the city? Why?"

After a moment of contemplation, he replied, "I think he went out with his friends, Luis and Armin."

The worry began to creep more into her tone. "But why? What are they doing there?"

Carlos sighed as he set his teacup aside. "I think they want to see the Flame Festival."

Her breath caught for a moment, then she took a step back as if struck by shock. "The Flame Festival?!" Her face paled, and her voice was tinged with fear. "But that means the royal family and the nine sects will be summoned! Shu shouldn't be there!"

Before she could finish, Carlos interrupted her in a soothing tone, trying to calm her. "Don't worry; the festival will be held in the city square for the public. The nine sects and the royal family will have their celebration at the Suara Castle."

But his words failed to quell the deep-seated anxiety within her. A strange feeling continued to pound in her heart, a sense that something was wrong...

At the entrance of Athenos, the City of Happiness...

Luis stood gazing at the city from a distance, then turned to his friend, speaking excitedly:

— Armin, how do you think the festival will be? This is my first time!

Armin replied with a bright smile:

— I'm so excited! And since we're orphans, we wouldn't have this opportunity if it weren't for Shu. He paid for our entry to the city so we could participate.

Shu raised his hand nonchalantly and laughed:

— Don't worry, it wasn't expensive... just half of my fortune, hahaha!

Luis and Armin laughed, but soon signs of embarrassment appeared on their faces, and they said in unison:

— You're the best! We'll repay you someday.

But Shu smiled a calm smile and confidently replied:

— You already did.

They exchanged puzzled glances, not understanding his meaning. Before they could ask, Shu continued with a faint smile:

— Don't you remember Mr. Adon's house? When I tested my physical ability with the breathing technique, but I discovered I couldn't use it because my energy channels were blocked? You kept that secret with Mr. Wan from everyone. If someone found out...

Armin suddenly yelled, interrupting him angrily:

— Have you lost your mind?! Do you think this is something to repay? This is just my duty as a friend! You're more than a brother to me!

Luis shook his head in agreement, then Armin added firmly:

— If the kingdom knew about you, they would take you like they took others, and you would never return!

Luis couldn't hold back, tears began to fall down his cheeks, his voice trembling:

— My friend Aris... he was taken and hasn't returned, and no one knows what happened to him...

Shu let out a long sigh, trying to calm them, then said with a reassuring smile:

— Relax, there's nothing to worry about. Let's just think about enjoying the festival.

As they approached the city gate, they were amazed by its enormous size. It was adorned with diamonds, sparkling under the sunlight, and in front of it stood men wearing white cloaks embroidered with gold, wielding long swords. Among them was an elderly man, exuding authority, who looked at them with disdain and shouted in a stern voice:

— Who are you?

They felt a powerful energy emanating from him, making their breaths heavy and their legs tremble. Luis and Armin stepped back, while Shu tried to maintain his composure and spoke in a steady voice:

— We're here to participate in the festival. Here are our entry tickets.

The old man shot Shu a sharp glance, then signaled one of the guards to take the tickets. He examined them for a moment, then muttered with disdain:

— Athenos has lost its shine... allowing filthy children to enter? But the law is the law. Open the gate.

With a gesture, the guards moved, and the giant gate began to open slowly, releasing a bright light from within. As soon as they crossed the gate, their breaths were taken away in astonishment.

The streets were painted in gold, the walls adorned with diamonds, and everything looked as if it had been taken from a fairy tale. The people here wore clothes they had never seen before, soft, shiny, and with strange designs.

Armin gasped as he spun around:

— This is madness... Is this heaven?!

Luis was no less amazed:

— Even the ground reflects light... and the walls... I had no idea such clothes even existed!

But his voice cut off abruptly when Armin pointed ahead. His voice trembled with awe:

— Look over there… "Draviteel"!!

Their bodies froze. Shu turned to where Armin was pointing, his eyes widening in terror. Before them, behind the city gate, stood a legendary beast.

It was a dark black dragon, its blue eyes glowing like embers, and its massive body radiated a terrifying aura. The blood froze in Shu's veins, and he felt his legs shaking. How could something like this be here?!

Before he could comprehend the situation, his eyes met those of the dragon, as if the beast had been staring at him all along. Suddenly, it roared with a deafening sound, its voice echoing through the place. The fierce wind generated by its roar pushed them back violently!

Armin and Luis crashed to the ground, losing consciousness instantly. As for Shu, his body was thrown and landed in a nearby puddle. He felt a sharp pain in his chest and spat blood, trying to catch his breath.

— What is happening...? Why is it attacking us? No... in fact, why is there a beast like this here?! This is illogical!

He attempted to rise despite the pain, but realized his ribs might be broken. Nevertheless, he forced himself to stand and looked back at the dragon, finding it had raised its head high, its eyes gleaming with a strange look... like a tiger staring at its prey that it had waited for so long.

His body trembled entirely, and he realized he was in real danger. He looked around in terror, trying to find Armin and Luis, but they had disappeared from his sight. Where had they been thrown? Were they still alive?!

Panic crept into his heart, and he took a trembling breath, then muttered in a pained, desperate voice:

— Oh God... is there any escape from this beast?

At the same time that Shu and his friends faced the danger of the legendary dragon, a luxurious carriage stopped at the gate of Athenos, pulled by three noble horses. It was surrounded by four guards wearing pure golden cloaks, adorned with a shiny red emblem—the "Royal Guard."

The old man guarding the gate slowly raised his head, then approached the carriage and bowed respectfully, saying in a majestic voice:

— It is a great honor for a member of the royal guard to be here. I am Marvis Laurel, the lord of the eighth sector and the gatekeeper of Athenos, welcome.

But the man riding the horse in front paid him no attention, simply issuing a firm order in a cold voice:

— Open the gate. The lord is here on an important mission.

In the blink of an eye, Marvis's tone changed, and he replied submissively:

— At your command.

He then signaled the guards to open the gate. However, the moment of calm did not last long—suddenly, a furious roar echoed throughout the area, shaking the entire place!

Everyone turned in astonishment toward the source of the sound, and shock appeared on Marvis's face. Draviteel... roaring?! How is this possible? This legendary beast is bound by a sacred contract with the king of the greatest kingdom, preventing it from harming humans!

But what happened next was something no human mind could comprehend...

In a fleeting moment, the giant gate of Athenos split in two!

Everything happened so quickly that no one realized how it occurred or who was responsible. Marvis's eyes widened in disbelief, and when he turned around, he froze in place. The door of the royal carriage was open... but it was empty!

A chill crept down his spine, and his body began to tremble. This is madness... how powerful is this person to be able to split the gate of Athenos so easily? Even Draviteel itself couldn't break it with its powerful claws! Worse still, no one could see what happened!

Marvis felt cold sweat trickling down his forehead and muttered to himself in a trembling voice:

— Oh, the power... I'm glad I was cautious in dealing with this royal lord.

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On the other side, Shu stood before the legendary beast, his body exhausted, but his spirit ignited with anger and fear.

— I will not die here! Not today... not tomorrow! My life will not end because of a legendary beast!

He shouted at the top of his lungs, his body drenched in sweat, a mix of panic and defiance overwhelming him. But Draviteel did not retreat. It began to gather a tremendous amount of energy in its mouth, a glowing fireball resembling a small sun forming between its fangs. The heat alone was enough to make Shu's skin burn, even though the attack had yet to be unleashed.

Shu felt his body freeze in terror. If he stayed in place, he would turn to ash in an instant. He turned and ran with all his might. He thought of nothing but survival. But... could he escape from something like this?

At that moment, the beast unleashed its hellish roar, propelling the fireball toward Shu. A fiery explosion surged toward him at incredible speed, like a cannon from hell.

But what happened next was unexpected!

— "Hell's Breath, Tenth Step... Scattered Hell Thorns!"

Suddenly, another attack shot from the direction of the gate toward Draviteel, cutting through the dragon's fiery attack as if it were nonexistent! Not only that, but the impact reached the dragon itself, shattering part of its upper scales!

But Shu was unaware of what was happening; he was running madly, driven by his primal desire to survive. He didn't realize anything until he saw Armin and Luis lying motionless on the ground.

He stopped suddenly, gasping as he approached them, his heart racing wildly. He knelt beside them, placing his hand on their chests, then breathed deeply when he felt their warmth.

— This is reassuring... you're alive... that's enough.

But inside, he knew that the worst was yet to come...

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