Copyright © 2026 by Darkrai_X In a city where power moves quietly and truth disappears, Detective Sixto Moreno takes on cases already buried. A string of murders leaves nothing behind. No evidence. No answers. Only absence. Every lead he follows vanishes. Someone is not just hiding the truth. They are controlling it. Then Claudia Mirage disappears. A woman from a powerful family. Untouchable. Until she is gone without a trace. When Detective Sixto finds her, she is not afraid. She gives him a choice. "Tell them I'm dead." As the cases begin to connect, Detective Sixto is pulled into a world where silence means survival and truth comes at a cost paid by someone else. In this city, justice is not broken. It is allowed. And some truths are meant to stay buried. Achievements : #1 in Case Category 5/1/2026

Copyright © 2026 by Darkrai_X In Room 309, people learn how to survive each other's pain. Elise Valencia is dying, and everyone around her seems to speak softer because of it. Everyone except Matteo Reyes, the chaotic night shift cleaner who steals hospital sunflowers, breaks rules constantly, and refuses to treat her like she's already gone. What begins as irritation slowly becomes something deeper inside the oncology ward, where laughter feels rebellious, love becomes complicated, and strangers leave permanent marks on one another's lives.

ONC 2026 Prompt 84: You were hired to be their companion, nothing more, but as their illness worsens, you're caught between responsibility, longing, and the ache of knowing you can't save them. ***************************************** (UPDATE May 2nd 2026 - I dedicate this story to the F1 driver and paralympian Alex Zanardi who sadly passed today. Alex's story is a real one of triumph over disaster.) ***************************************** Cat's nursing career has been tanked by her strength to call out a senior colleague who was under the influence of alcohol in an emergency operating theatre. It is Cat's nature to stand up for what she believes in regardless of personal cost. Planning her next move a recruitment notice catches her eye and she responds to it. Jeremy Churchill, a distant relative of Winston himself. At 27 years old and a fly-half for the Northampton Saints Rugby Club a routine xray after a heavy tackle has blown his world apart. She slowly starts to battle professional detachment for friendship, and attraction and desire for something more. He trades sullen silence and self pity for moments he realises it's not the sword of damocles hanging over his head. Final word count : 32,694 UPDATE The Bucket List has a soundtrack on Amazon music https://music.amazon.co.uk/user-playlists/71bfeae09df64bdc8c306192fdef981bengb?ref=dm_sh_7VfGpXGh0jYuWvAGPfQmHD5Fx

🏆ONC2026 Entry | Longlister | Round 3 Winner 🏆 TheNanoWatt Longlister Two assassins. One royal secret. A lullaby of steel and secrecy. One last assignment to buy her freedom. The final phase of the mission was supposed to be straightforward: slip into the Spanish Royal Palace during the midsummer gala, incinerate the marked documents, and eliminate the crown and its heirs. It was supposed to be easy. At least, it would have been if she hadn't arrived twenty-four hours too soon. Forced to play a role her lethal training never prepared her for, the Royal Nanny, Elizabeth must use her supernatural abilities to navigate a world of silk and secrets while protecting the very heirs she was sent to kill. But she isn't the only one on a mission. Thomas, an assassin from a rival organization known as The Pendulum, is already embedded as the palace's head of security. In their battle to outspy each other, they realize they share more than just a job description. ~~~~~~~~~ ⚔️Genre: Espionage/Dark Fantasy/Romanstasy ⚠️Rated: MATURE (Violence, Physical Trauma and Psychological Distress) 📍Exclusively on Wattpad. © 2026 MiriamElade Main Prompt: 32. Two assassins from rival organizations are sent on the same secret mission, only to realize the assignment hides a much bigger truth. Sub 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. Started: 1st February 2026 Completed: 20th April 2026

ONC 2026 In a world woven with secrets, silence can be deafening. Eighteen-year-old Luca Kant has never known the sound of her own voice; born deaf and raised under the suffocating grip of her controlling father, she is haunted by the shadow of her mother's mysterious disappearance. Did she flee from the clutches of a man who could be a monster, or did something more sinister happen? Nineteen-year-old Boy Harrison lives at the wrecking yard. He can speak, but hasn't spoken since he was four. He is haunted by nightmares that echo a woman's voice warning him that to remain safe, he must remain silent. Fate draws Luca and Boy together. Long-buried memories and cryptic connections between their lives begin to unravel. As they delve deeper into their entwined pasts, eerie parallels unfold-did Luca's father play a role in the dark mystery surrounding her mother's fate? Does he hold the key to both their truths? How is Boy connected, and who is the woman he dreams of? In a gripping tale of identity, resilience, and the haunting weight of silence, Luca and Boy must confront their monsters and uncover the chilling revelations that bind them on a riveting journey where silence speaks volumes and whispers could change the course of their lives. PROMPT 80 - Monsters don't live under our beds. They live in the recesses of our minds. (Variation of Edgar Allen Poe's famous quote.) My interpretation - Monsters didn't live under your bed. They sat at your table.

Hailey Baker doesn't do weddings. She doesn't do small talk, dancing in public, or flying--ever. She prefers her feet on the ground, her heart locked up, and her sarcasm sharp enough to keep everyone at arm's length. Enter Charlie Wilder. Air Force pilot. Best man with a questionable mustache. As a certified golden retriever, he barrels through life with laughter, charm, and zero chill. He's the exact type Hailey swore off--persistent, ridiculous, too handsome for his own good... and annoyingly hard to ignore. After one unforgettable kiss cut short, fate throws them back together. Charlie is determined to prove he's more than a reckless playboy, and his relentless pursuit is equal parts infuriating and irresistible. But behind his sunshine smile is a man with secrets of his own. She doesn't do love. He doesn't do serious. But the chemistry between them? That might just take off, whether Hailey's ready to fly or not. Comps: One Golden Summer. Just finished reading One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune, and Charlie Florek reminds me so much of my Charlie. If you loved him, come check out Charlie Wilder.

Multiple rollicking romances, and unexpected twists in the world of espionage as viewed by telepathic cats who twice save the world from a nuclear Armageddon. A fun read, just ask your cat.

- A slow-burn romantasy with fae courts, false identities, and dangerous choices - "I was taken from my world to replace a girl who was already dead. They dressed me in white, gave me her name, and promised me safety if I stayed silent. I was meant to be a bride. A symbol. A lie. But the prince I was promised to doesn't see me the way he should. And the man who brought me here is watching, waiting for me to break. I am not the girl they think I am. And if the truth comes out, it will destroy us all." #fantasy #fae #fairies #romance #slowburn #enemiestolovers #royalty #forcedmarriage #fakeidentity #darkfantasy #forbiddenlove Note: This story is taking part in the Open Novella Contest 2026 #ONC #OpenNovellaContest Court of the Fae Rankings: #1 ONC2026 out of 1.22K stories #10 aesthetic out of 32.4K stories #13 fairytale out of 19.1K stories #5 fairies out of 14.9K stories

He was sent to rescue her. Not to care. Not to stay. Definitely not to fall. Leonardo Nico Russo, the youngest heir of one of Europe's most feared crime families, has built his life on discipline, precision, and impossible missions. Loose ends don't exist in his world. Until April Holloway. Three years after he pulls her from the horrors of human trafficking, fate brings them together again. But the girl he rescued is no longer the same-and neither is the man who walked away believing some people were never meant to become more than a mission. As April finds herself pulled closer to the enigmatic man who once saved her, she must decide whether loving him is worth embracing the dangerous world that comes with his name. And when the past returns, determined to destroy everything he holds dear, Leo discovers that there are some wars you don't fight for an empire... You fight them for one person. Set against a world of hidden wars, family loyalty, and impossible choices, In His Arms is a story of rescue, resilience, and a love that refuses to surrender. Because sometimes, the person who saves you... doesn't just change your life. They become your home.

[[ONC 2026 LongList]] 25-year old Lee still hasn't figured out why they could not form any long-lasting relationships, even friendships for that matter. Aside from family members, which they are obligated to talk to, there is no one else Lee had even come close to calling a friend. Well, maybe except for one. -------- Submitted for ONC 2026 @OpenNovellaContest Using the following prompts : 29. You will meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, but some will leave footprints in your heart. 104. While wandering in the woods, you dismiss the rustling behind you as nothing more than wind through the trees until you turn around and realize it isn't the wind at all. 106. After waking at 3AM to a freezing room and a door you're certain you closed, you find wet footprints and melting snow leading from your bedroom into the hall. Realizing someone or something is inside your home, you follow the trail to uncover the truth. ------------- © 2026 J. Lee Kennedy. All rights reserved. Cover design © 2026 J. Lee Kennedy. Images used in this work belong to their respective copyright holders and are used under license or in accordance with applicable Creative Commons terms. Edited or altered images are copyrighted by the author in their final form.