Before he became a Knight of Gryphon's Glenn, Marcus Chambers was a commoner with a difficult childhood. Born to a mother who could never love him, he has always believed that he is destined for more. If there is one thing Marcus values above all else, it's power. At sixteen years old, Marcus discovers a hidden temple. Inside, he meets someone who is ready to guide him in his quest for glory. And so, this story begins. Meanwhile, Robin Ellis has been raised in the non-magical realm for most of her life, but when destiny calls, she returns home and finds herself on an epic journey with Pirates, sorcerers, and new allies she never saw coming. If you're curious how Marcus began coming into his powers and want to understand him better, you will enjoy this novella. If you want an introduction to the world of Gryphon's Glenn before you dive into book one, you may also enjoy this story. This novella is a prequel to Gryphon's Glenn. It is a standalone story that is being written for ONC 2026 and was inspired by Prompt #63: A forgotten temple appears overnight in the middle of town, but its doors will only open for those who tell lies.

Eleven-year-old Ligero Hernandez is swept into a whirlwind adventure when he discovers something by accident. Or was it? How did the writer know so much about him? Together with his friends, he must put the pieces together before it's too late, and he has only seven days to do it.

She wakes with missing hours, a burning imprint carved into her shoulder, and no memory of who put it there. Nyxara Blackvein is an assassin who survives by control. Control over her body. Her blades. Her choices. But the mark beneath her skin has a will of its own, pulling her toward Stillreach-a city protected by an impossible shield and a power no one dares to name. Torin Cross was never part of the plan. A half-elf bard with a charming smile and secrets of his own, he's headed in the same direction for reasons that don't quite add up. When violence forces them to fight side by side, trust forms before either of them is ready for it. Whatever waits in Stillreach is already watching. ONC 2026 Prompts used. 32. Two assassins from rival organizations are sent on the same secret mission, only to realize the assignment holds a much bigger truth. 86. A wasteland hides pockets of thriving communities protected by mysterious shields. 99. You wake up with a strange mark on your skin after a late-night encounter you can barely remember, and its meaning grows more unsettling by the hour.

❝ DON'T GET LOST IN THE WOODS FOR THEY ARE HUNGRY ❞ Vesnyana died a long time ago. As a rusalka, she is now bound to haunt the waters that took her life - and drown hapless folks in their cold depths. However, the woods have become quiet over the years, and her endless hungerhas become more tormenting. That is, until the summer solstice, which drives young lovers into the trees in search of the magical fern flower. But only one of them is truly determined to find it. Which is but a game for other youths in the village of Lasow, to Yara seems like the only way to free herself from her sorrows. Little does she know what dangers await her and her best friend Levik due to her desperate pursuit. One of them, lurking in a cold river, desires the flower herself ... _______ ONC 2026 ENTRY: PROMPTS 16, 104, 114

**SELECTED FOR ONC 2026 ROUND 3** Imagine being a wizard who could cast spells without ever making a mistake? Dref signed a Stakeholder Agreement with the Fourth Pentagon of the Underworld to grant him this power and vanished from the magical town of Aranot shortly afterwards. Maybe he should have read that smallprint a bit more carefully? His twin sister Annod has been researching a way to find him for two years and has found a portal to take her to him in the basement of The Trotting Donkey tavern. Can she swallow her social awkwardness and convince the beguilding automaton, Gorgeous to lead her there? Stakeholder Agreement introduces readers to the world of Aranot, a town cut into a mountain with seven universities where wizards and scroll readers are trained. This comic fantasy universe pokes fun at our world through the strange contents of the mind of @edmundkeanlightning CONTENT WARNINGS Mild alcohol consumption Occult themes Misfiring magic

The stars whispered to amateur astronomer Levi, and to his alarm, one by one they disappeared within the abyss. But when he witnessed one such disappearance, the star fell to him and took a human form. Explaining Celesta's sudden appearance to suspicious townspeople became an insignificant problem when a Darkness threatened to consume the universe, one star at a time, including the one that warmed his world. A fantasy story written for the 2026 Open Novella Contest, utilizing prompt #69: The stars are disappearing one by one, and only you can hear their whispers.

🏆 | Round 2 Qualifier of ONC 2026 ❛❛ He was living on a heartbeat that was not even his, a pulse bought with blood and a whole lot of silence. Inside the Corpus, where the walls literally breathed and the shadows were looking for a reason to hunt, saying his own name was the fastest way to break his soul. They were stuck navigating a nightmare made of bone and pain, realizing that the only way to make it out was to hang onto the memories that just would not stay dead . . . ❜❜ Galateya and Shelomoh are trying to survive the Corpus, a city made of flesh where you cannot tell where a person ends and the architecture begins. It is run by the Father and the Mother---basically a pair of monsters turning suffering into a science---and the city itself eats the names and memories of anyone caught in its veins. In a place where a single word can literally shatter your body, they must get to the heart of the madness and find themselves before they are lost to the silence for good. 𖦹 𓍼꩟ ﹻ © Wattpad 𖦹 𓍼꩟ ﹻ © Banner & Cover by @mxtsuro 𖦹 𓍼꩟ ﹻ © Enmesharra ,, 2026

For Centuries Grim has been collecting souls. It's what he does, it's his purpose. One day, while collecting a soul in the park, he comes across a lost puppy. For reasons he can't explain, the urge to return the small dog to his owner is overwhelming. He soon finds the animal's owner, a woman in her mid-twenties named Maria. He is struck down by her beauty and realizes that he had once claimed the soul of someone she loved. He becomes even more conflicted when he realizes he has just one year to claim her soul.

Spring arrives quietly.... soil rich with fertility, petals swaying and a garden that has never known wonder. Until one flower blooms where none should. When reaches for the first flower of spring, the world does not change all but It opens. A single touch pulls her into a place hidden between seasons a world where gardens guard secrets, portals breathe softly and magic has learned how to wait. What was once ordinary becomes dangerous and what blooms beautifully may burn just as fiercely.... because some flowers are not meant to be touched. Some doors do not open without consequence and some creatures long thought to be myths have been watching all along. In a story where spring is a threshold and the garden remembers everything, one choice will decide what is saved... and what is lost forever.

*This story is written for participation in Open Novella Contest and no earlier draft exist before 1st Feb. The story is based on prompts provided by the event . The Hollowridge Inn has one rule. No humans. Tucked deep within a forest that refuses to appear on any map, the Inn has sheltered witches, vampires, shapeshifters, and beings far older than language for over a century. It is neutral ground. Sanctuary. A carefully balanced refuge for the unseen world. And it has never made a mistake. Until Ethan Carter checks in. Stranded after a mysterious car failure, Ethan is impossibly human-and somehow allowed past wards that have never failed. As the Inn begins to react to him in ways no one understands, one terrifying truth becomes clear: He wasn't invited by accident. When an ancient entity known only as a Collector arrives to claim what it calls "a key," the dysfunctional family that runs the Inn must make a choice-hand Ethan over to protect their fragile peace, or defy powers older than the house itself. But the Inn has already chosen. And it may be willing to burn the worlds down to keep him.