A minor becomes a model and a monster at the same time. While life gives no handouts, he finds a lifeline in the family he built. On the verge of a breakthrough, old memories start to dig a hole in his heart and mind. Will he surrender to this life by digging himself out or go deeper to find the true meaning of his path?

❝ 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 to sate her endless hunger. However, her greatest desire remains unfulfilled: to become human again. 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 there are far greater ones to come: A new priest arrives, eager to fight the old beliefs and driven by his own dangerous desires. Prophecies and dark omens plaguing Yara and her friend Levik speak of fire on the horizon. And the shadows on the wall start speaking. When death comes riding into Lasow, Yara has to decide whom to trust-and what wishes might be dangerous enough they could cost all of their lives. _______ ONC 2026 ENTRY: PROMPTS 16, 104, 114

Some people pass through our lives quietly. Others stay long enough to change us forever. Rudra dreams of becoming a boxer while struggling with school, family expectations, and a life slowly breaking apart. Shivani enters his world as a seatmate, a helper, and soon, someone he learns to depend on. Through loss, ambition, and unspoken love, they grow closer. But when distance, silence, and misunderstanding take over, their story is forced to end before it is ready. This is not a story about forever. It is a story about love that lingers. About people who leave, but never truly disappear. Because some footprints remain. This story is an ONC entry using the prompt:- 29. " You will meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, but some will leave footprints on your heart."

Some dreams are never meant to stay asleep. Ever since childhood, sleeping has been terrifying-not because rest isn't needed, but because dreams don't play fair. They show strange places, unknown faces, and events that sometimes spill into reality. No one believes the truth. They call it nightmares or paranoia. But what if it's more than imagination? From those who watch silently, to those who protect and those who dare to fight, every dream is a warning-and every choice can change someone's fate. In a world where dreams can save lives-or end them-who can you trust, when destiny itself seems to be watching? *** Open Novella Contest (2026) Prompts: 18. At eighteen, you begin dreaming of a stranger who feels like your other half. When they finally appear in real life, everything you thought you knew about love and reality begins to shift. 21. You wake from a dream about perfect faceless soulmate, only to meet someone in real life who feels exactly like them and somehow knows things you've never told anyone. Book Cover Created by: @Pretty_flower00

In a world of wireless clouds and sterile touchscreens, Cleo digs for ghosts in the bargain bins of Seattle's tech shops. She collects "dead" media-floppy disks, CRT monitors, and things that hum with physical electricity. Her latest find is The Glass Panopticon, a 7-disc PC psychological thriller game that vanished from shelves thirty years ago. It plays like a vaporware dream until a leather-clad rebel named Slater starts breaking the fourth wall. He is charming, snarky, and undeniably dangerous. But Slater isn't following the script anymore. He doesn't just look at the camera; he looks at her. He knows her name. He knows the layout of her room. And when Cleo tries to quit, she wakes up with a line of vibrating white static etched under the skin of her wrist. Slater claims he has a mission: to overthrow the Overseer and start a digital revolution. But his real objective is much simpler. He doesn't want to save his world. He wants to escape into hers. And he needs a body to do it. ONC 2026 Entry. Prompts: #88 (AI Betrayal/Trapping) & #99 (The Strange Mark) Themes: 90s Nostalgia, Horror, Slow Burn, Analog Tech, technothriller

So... Riven kidnapped the magnanimous King of the Aer Folk because a magical book containing the soul of his cheating ex-boyfriend told him to, but that does not make him crazy, not at all. After all he only wants to revive Jesse, so he can kill him again. Where does Vlad land in all of this, you ask? Well he is that poor, kidnapped King who is now curse-bound to a freaking lunatic. But our wonderful King Valadrius is not sad, not at all. And he is definitely not falling in love with his kidnapper, or kissing him, no matter what the curse tells him to do. #ONC2026 Genre: Fantasy-Romance Copyright© 2026 short_flame

Kieran is already dealing with a flirtatious boss, disdainful coworkers and a heavy workload and writhing self-insecurity that gives him a perpetual migraine. Now the cute boy he met as a child had turned out to be a handsome, adorable... werewolf?! Salva opened their wings to their city neighbors in Bellport's greatest time of need, but will the divide between the two cities be greater than the chasm that seperates the them both or can they work together to find the solution to the virus that plagues them both? #ONC2026 #2k #8k Formerly "Now There's Werewolves?!" Genre: Fantasy-Supernatural, Werewolf Mature (16+): Mention of abuse, Bullying, Profanity, Gore/Violence Copyright© 2025 short_flame

On Elena Chen's fortieth birthday, a number appears on her palm: [30]. Thirty chances. Thirty memories. Thirty opportunities to understand why every relationship she's ever had has ended the same way-with her running. A mysterious painting arrives showing six panels across six centuries. All with her face. And a man named Adrian who claims he's been waiting six hundred years for her to wake up. Each memory costs her. Each time she chooses fear over love, the countdown drops. When it reaches zero, she'll forget everything and repeat the cycle. Forever. But if she chooses to remember-if she faces every moment of cowardice across six lifetimes-the price isn't hers to pay. It's his. *Kintsugi: the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery with gold.* *Some scars aren't meant to be hidden.* *Some scars are meant to shine.* 🏆 Entry for Open Novella Contest 2026 | Prompt #53 Content Warning: Mature themes including death across timelines, emotional patterns, LGBTQ+ relationships (historical period), war trauma (WWII), and discussions of obsessive behavior. Recommended for readers 16+.

A forgotten amulet. A whisper of fate. A princess it commands, but at what cost? Maela, princess of the Seelie Court, can't sit through court affairs to save her life. To avoid another royal meeting, she takes a new path through the forest, stumbling upon ancient ruins. The secret within their shattered walls sets her on a path she must find the answer to--before it's too late. Main prompt: ~ 93. Buried beneath the ruins lies an artifact that whispers memories of an ancient being. The first memory it reveals is a warning and it's meant for you. Sub prompts: ~ 16. =And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul= Quote by John Muir ~ 11. The daughter of the most powerful witch(changed to Fae) is nothing like her mother. ~ 104. While wandering in the woods, you dismiss the rustling behind you as nothing more that wind through the trees until you turn around and realize it isn't the wind at all.

When Nena finally receives the mark of her soulmate, it turns out to be a countdown. The faster she walks towards the source of the countdown, the faster the clock ticks back. Her best friend tries to get her out of this situation, but Nena knows she can't ignore the future that's coming for her. And then she stands right in front of a demon...