ONC 2026
20 stories
Starless by wdhenning
wdhenning
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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.
Steampunk Assassin | ONC2026 by elveloy
elveloy
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    Parts 22
Jareth Coppersmith and Pol Flynt have one thing in common. They kill for a living. One works for GAME, the powerful Guild of Airship Mechanics and Engineers and the other, for the Royal Spymaster. But what happens when they are unknowingly sent on the same secret mission? At best they are rivals, at worst, mortal enemies. SciFi / Thriller/ Steampunk/ LGBT
Root and Ruin | ONC 2026 ✔️  by EvelynHail
EvelynHail
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She is sent to kill the dragon. Instead, she might become his only salvation. *** In a world swallowed by the Ever-Dark, Iva Vernigora is nothing more than a lowly servant in the house of the cruel Voivode Yakub Ivanov, Duke of Highroot. But when Voivode blackmails her with the lives of her parents, Iva is forced to pretend she's his daughter, as she infiltrates the royal academy of magic - Kolegium. Voivode Yakub's order is absolute: poison the Prince Konstantin Veliki. Prince Konstantin is the heir to the throne, the last of the line of Dragons - a Zmey warrior of light, who was blessed with a dragon-shifting gift. At a first glance, he is nothing but a smug, pompous royal, and everything Iva is supposed to hate. Yet every touch, and every shared lesson at Kolegium blurs the line between the enemy she must kill and the man she is beginning to crave. While Iva stalks her prey as a knife in the dark, waiting for the chance to extinguish Konstantin's light, she discovers that the dragon everyone fears is the only thing standing between humanity and the void. As the Ever-Dark Shades rise, Iva must make an impossible choice. Will she carry out her sinister orders and secure her parents' freedom, or will she stand by the Dragon in the battle for the world's last light? *** The Shades are coming. The Dragons are falling. And the Eternal Spark is waiting for its host. © 2026 EvelynHail Exclusively on Wattpad Based on prompts: 97. "When the world slips into endless darkness, something begins to move in the shadows and you must find a way to survive in a night that never ends." 4. "You discover that the dragon everyone fears is in danger, and you are the only one who can save it from the knight sworn to slay it ."
Storm Flower | ONC 2026 by jinnis
jinnis
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Bronhini, the storm queen, sends out her pet dragon to turn the skirmish her men are losing. A lone warrior stands up to the beast - a brave, but useless act. When Laiàn learns about the courageous last stand of her brother, she is devastated. But not everything is as it seems... Based on the prompt #29: "You will meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, but some will leave footprints on your heart."
Multitude Adjustment (ONC 2026) by Wuckster
Wuckster
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Silas Greep is just an average guy... or is he? Everyone he encounters seems to have a different memory of him, as if he's lived a completely different life with each person in his town. It's a perplexing situation and he starts to question who he is and if reality is even what it seems. Can he get to the bottom of this before he completely loses his mind? Based on prompt 77: Everyone in town remembers you differently, as if each person has lived a completely different version of your life.
The Guardians by CFarley982
CFarley982
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ONC 2026 entry, prompt 5. Every day at the exact same time your cat slips out of your home. One afternoon, curiosity gets the better of you, and you follow, only to discover it's living a secret life you never imagined. My take, cats save the world as a backdrop to a romcom.
The Grim Reaper's Living Adventures│ONC 2026 by ravenwood666may
ravenwood666may
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At the end of his tenure, the Grim Reaper considers his options: what's next for him. One chance encounter with a stray puppy ends up being far more than he had bargained for, leading him on a journey of self-discovery and what it truly means to be part of the living. Join the Grim Reaper on his adventures as he finally gets to experience the beauty of life in ways he never thought possible.