❝ 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

Althea has always considered herself unlucky in love. What she never realized was that love had been circling her for years, just slightly out of step. On her thirtieth birthday, the four-man band who shaped her youth arrive late (as always). One confession breaks the careful silence they've kept for years, forcing the past into the present and cracking open a decade of almosts. They chose friendship because it was safer. They stayed professional because it was necessary. And sometimes... life, simply and tragically, got in the way. "𝘔𝘴. 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴" 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘳-𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘤 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘢 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 - 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘭, 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰. {2026 Open Novella Contest Longlist} Ranked 1 in: #opennovellacontest (7/15-7/25) #bandmembers (5/1-7/27) #songwriting (4/22-6/30) #onc2026 (7/15-7/19) #drummer (5/1-7/22) #guitar (5/12-7/27)

When Teia Cloto travels to Naples, Italy, hoping to steady a life already quietly unravelling, the last thing she needs is a blind date that turns into an easy, unexpected friendship. Alden instantly makes the city feel strangely familiar in ways Teia didn't know she needed. Drawn deeper into Naples' ancient past and her own unsettling sense of déjà vu, the line between coincidence and destiny begin to blur. Staying friends is simpler. But Teia must confront whether destiny is a story we inherit, or one we choose to rewrite, no matter the cost. Water and Sand is a contemporary love story that reimagines the myth of Theseus and Ariadne, where love is a labyrinth and friendship feels like the safest way out. #thenanowatt #thenanowatt2026

The last thing Caleb Vos wanted was to play babysitter to a rich, spoiled brat. He didn't protect people, he took them out. He was damn good at it too, but no one says no to Hendrik Vos. Caleb was shaped by power. He moves through life like a weapon - disciplined, unreadable, always three steps ahead. Then Tori looks at him like he's human. She isn't part of the plan. She isn't part of the strategy and she certainly isn't safe. But the more their lives intertwine, the harder it becomes to tell where manipulation ends and something real begins. In a world where loyalty is currency and betrayal is inevitable, love is the most dangerous gamble of all. And some games don't end when you walk away. Wattys 2026 Participant 🏅 ONC 2026 ROUND1, 2 and 3 QUALIFIER 🏅 ONC 2026 LONG LISTER 🏅NanoWatt 2026 Long List Qualifier

|ONC2026 Honorable Mention| 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 ."

A fallen star, a crime lord, and the hunt for a heart. When Keira, a star, falls to earth with her sisters, it is with only one goal: find a human heart to save her sisters. It is pure coincidence that she falls straight into the infinity pool of formidable crime lord Captain Demir Erdogan. They strike a deal, and so their fate is sealed. But there is a reason stars are forbidden to fall. Soon it will become clear that stars are not the untouchable beings as the myths say. And a heart does not make a human. And so the greatest question of all will be: What makes a heart worth more than another?

Blake Sullivan was supposed to die at 10.45 pm that fateful night. He had it all and lost everything. But when a beautiful woman offers him an opportunity to regain everything including his life, he makes a deal with her. He didn't realize that he was chosen because he was the perfect candidate - embodiment of seven sins. The bargain came with strings attached. Strings which will later transform into serpents strangling the lives of his beloveds and himself. He thought had won; but he was merely borrowing time. How much is a "Golden Boy" worth when he made his deal with the Mother of all Sins? ************************************************************************* © Ana_Miga, 2025. All rights reserved. This is a work of fiction. No part of this story may be reproduced, distributed, or mirrored without the author's written permission. Unauthorized copying, reposting, or scraping-including automated mirroring on third-party websites-is a violation of copyright law. ************************************************************************* Open Novella Contest 2026 Prompt used: 100. A human summons a demon, and their first conversation quickly reveals the human may not be the one in control. *************************************************************************

When a magic mirror brings forth an army of reflections to invade her kingdom at her father's wedding to his new bride, Mechtild, Princess Aneira will do anything to save her land. Taken captive by her new stepmother, Aneira escapes Mechthild's clutches through the very mirror that brought the reflections into a far-off land of ice and snow. Hunted by Mechthild's reflections, Aneira quickly learns she won't have to battle Mechthild alone when she finds seven knights with magic powers fighting. Granted a quest to restore both their lands Aneira must travel to plant a golden apple in the center of a tundra and if she has any hope of succeeding, she'll need help from a reflection, one of Mechthild's very own soldiers to guide her along the way. Enjoy this Snow White-inspired story based on ONC prompt 105: You're chatting with someone when you suddenly notice the mirror behind them shows everything except their reflection.

When one morning, Zabava finds a wounded man in her garden, there is no doubt she ought to help him. But the more she gets to know about him, the clearer it seems that destiny had delivered a gruesome strike with this stranger. For her unexpected guest is Zmey, the dragon haunting the country of Skazoviya with his endless appetite for the hearts of girls. Everyone knows how this would have to end in the tales-a powerful witch in the woods, a terrible dragon, a dashing hero. But this is no tale. Zabava is no witch. The brave bogatyr has failed to kill his enemy. And the dragon doesn't seem to be quite the kind of monster the rumors make him out to be. Soon enough, he spins Zabava a tale of woe about his innocence and traps her in a bargain to rescue him. Caught between plans to trick this beast and the chains of their pact, she slowly starts to believe Zmey's story ... but what if the tales are true and what's at stake is her very heart? _____ ONC 2026 ENTRY: PROMPTS 3, 4, 11

ONC 2026 - Shortlisted ONC 2026 - Longlisted Round 3 Winner & Ambassador's Pick ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── One year ago, Elliot disappeared. When a strange flower spirited her to the Fae filled d'Oré Isles, Serena is dedicated to finding her twin and uncovering answers. But will the price be higher than she can pay? Will she be able to convince the King to help her in her quest? ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── Welcome to my Open Novella Contest 2026 entry! Over the next 12 weeks, I'll be participating in the Open Novella Contest and writing novella of no more than 40,000 words. From this year's prompts, I've chosen Prompt 2: The first flower to bloom in spring isn't just a sign of the seasons changing. It's a portal. When you touch it, you're transported into a magical world you never knew existed. I look forward to creating a story for you. I'd love if you would support me and my novella by sharing, commenting, voting, adding it to your lists, and, of course, reading along! [Word Count: 22,325 (not including Author's Note)] ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── Highest Rankings: ⟢ #2 in Pixie - 30 April 2026 ⟢ #5 in ONC - 6 July 2026 ── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ── Cover art created by myself on Canvas with Wattpad provided banners. Chapter art created on Pinterest - I own no part of that art. No part of this novella was created with AI. No part of this novella existed before 1 February 2026.