The Ley Binder is a book series depicted in the Realm of Elderwyn, a once united continent and empire where the mortal races of men, elves and dwarves live in peace and harmony... But was shattered by the fires of a great civil war and conflict after the death of the great and wise Emperor, Ravyn Asterwood. The series tells the Story of Valerine White, an orphaned girl studying to become a full fledged mage, earn a living through magic and buy her freedom from the White family who "adopted" her to become a maid at the family's inn business - but little did she know that the intricate fabric of fate will set her in an adventure of her lifetime... ...A journey full of discovery and danger as she navigates a path riddled with factions, assassins, spell work and a threat that could drive the mortal races of Elderwyn to extinction... As tides of Shadowborn from the Ever-Shrouded North rip the very fabric of reality, Valerine must seek the help of friends and allies as she uncovers the truth and embrace her identity as the last heir to the Asterwood Bloodline, the only mortal lineage capable of controlling mana at will - the LeyBinders. Will Valerine be able to uncover the truth and learn the extents and powers of her bloodline in time to prevent the Shadows from consuming the land?

**SELECTED FOR ONC 2026 ROUND 2** 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

A covert government operative sent to surveil a famous footballer accidentally becomes the nanny to his six-year-old son, forcing her to choose between completing the mission that could destroy him or protecting the unexpected family she has begun to love. ◈ ◈ ◈ Grace Anna Sumer has always craved freedom. That hunger is what led her into the shadows, working as a covert field operative for a little-known government agency. Officially, she gathers intelligence. Unofficially, she removes problems. Pulled from a coveted assignment in the Congo, Grace is reassigned to Paris to surveil the family of Hermes Mansi, an international football (soccer) star whose career is tightly controlled by a powerful and corrupt league that profits from obedience. Grace is told to watch him. To observe. To wait. What she does not expect is a twist of fate that places her inside his home, hired accidentally as the nanny to his six-year-old son, Drax. Under the safest cover imaginable, Grace enters Hermes' life with one objective, gather evidence and prepare for a quiet takedown. But the longer she stays, the harder it becomes to remember where the mission ends and her feelings begin. As secrets unravel and loyalties fracture, Grace must choose between completing her assignment or protecting the fragile and unexpected family she has found. ◈ ◈ ◈ This novella was written for the Open Novella Contest 2026, based on Prompt #33: "It doesn't take long before everything in your life spins out of control. One moment you're a secret assassin, and the next you've somehow been hired as a nanny and you're not entirely sure how it happened."

Three teenagers in Scarlet Bay have gone missing, and all fingers are pointing at 28-year-old Milena Scarlat. While Milena tries to find the teenagers and the person who framed her, she receives a text from someone from her past---someone who's supposed to be dead. Former covert operative Flynn Ward knows he's on countless criminals' hit lists. When his best friend, Chase Knight, goes missing and he receives an ominous message, he knows the past is finally catching up with him. Reunited by a common enemy, Milena and Flynn must deal with unresolved feelings and, with the help of a resourceful teenager and a (possibly) genetically-enhanced cat, race against time to find the missing people.

Briar Black isn't used to the domestic life. She's used to guns, violence, and ruthlessness. But after meeting Léna, the most beautiful woman she's ever laid her eyes on, she picked up the most unexpected job for a woman in her profession: being a nanny to a feisty little girl whose gorgeous mother is running a mysterious business. It's funny how life turns out, isn't it? Briar has no idea how she got here, but she is slowly learning to enjoy the ride. Unicorn stickers, keeping her other life a secret, tantrums, more secrets and romantic tension with her new boss, and all. ...Wait, what was that last bit?

Fall, 2022: On the Bayou of Southern Louisiana. Ozzy, a 14-year-old artistic honors student, is looking forward to starting high school and the talented theater program. But a whirlwind trip to the ER and an MRI reveals Ozzy has a brain tumor - and later, a pediatric cancer diagnosis - changes everything. During a year-long fight for a cure in the hospital, hope comes to Ozzy and their Mama through art, music and letters from friends, family and even strangers. There are so many that some remain unopened, collected in a box that goes home with Ozzy after they are discharged from the hospital a year later. The box sits in Mama's closet for over two years. Neither Ozzy nor Mama have opened the box as they struggle to return to "normal" life when "normal" is no longer possible. Until today, 2026: when what begins as spring cleaning turns into opening the box, reading its letters, and finding a mysterious adventure in one that neither Ozzy or Mama ever saw coming. And it just may be the adventure 17-year-old Ozzy and their Mama need to reveal the unexpected, ordinary magic that can help them heal, move forward- and live. ONC 2026 Prompts Used: #79 (Main) - Additional: #16, #28, #69, #104. Stacie Eirich @spacetodream

*That's Not How You Flirt* *Shadows in a Hall | School of Troublemakers | Secrets of Blackridge Academy* When Theodore somehow lands himself at Blackridge Academy-a school shrouded in mystery and filled with missing students-he quickly realizes this place is nothing like any high school he's known. Between the shadowy halls, secret whispers, and a crush that seems just out of reach, Theodore has to figure out how to survive... and maybe even how to flirt without making things worse. Welcome to a school where trouble is the norm, and nothing is as it seems.

EVERYONE THEY TOUCH DIES - EXCEPT EACH OTHER. For 423 years, Libby has been a walking biohazard: one accidental brush of skin and it's game over. Now she's the world's oldest virgin, a shut-in, and a not-so secret romantic who spends her nights writing about the experiences she can never have firsthand. But she isn't alone. For centuries, a robed figure has watched her from the edges of history. Libby assumed he was a hallucination, a coping mechanism for a mind fractured by four centuries of solitude. Then one night he slid into her DMs. And after four centuries of living without a single IRL connection, Libby is ready to be touched by a Reaper - whatever the cost. NOTE: This story is one of my Wattpad ONC 2026 entries. I wrote it in response to Prompt 114: "An immortal being, worn down by centuries and cursed so that anyone they touch dies, starts searching for a way to finally end their endless life. But Death, who has grown possessive and infatuated with them, refuses to let them go." ⚠️ TW: death, dirty language, sexual content, suicidal ideation.

For as long as he can remember, he has slept in the cellar. Every night, his father opens the box where he sleeps. Every night, his mother brings him a glass of liquid red medicine. Every week, his father files down his teeth. He has never seen the sun. He has never seen his reflection. He has never been outside. Until the sirens come. And with the sirens comes something worse: the truth.

Jade doesn't like her friend Kate rambling about Danny Phantom all the time. Well what if she was transported into the Tv show Danny Phantom Read how Jade makes it through her best friends favorite TV show. *~.~.~.~.~.~.~* Ok this show is old, but I used to love it -And still do!- So please don't hate! Read!!!! You won't regret it!!! (Full disclosure, I haven't touched this story in years. I figured reposting my old work up would draw readers back in for my finished works, and maybe I'll take some time to come up with an ending for this so I don't leave anyone hanging)