❛❛ The bells of Poveglia rang not from towers, but from the depths of a saltwater grave. You watched as the walls of the asylum breathed with the pulse of those long forgotten by God. Holiness had once been a promise of salvation, but here, it was revealed as just another kind of hunger . . . ❜❜ A chance meeting in a Venetian museum leads an architect and a photographer into the heart of a maritime nightmare. They journey to the forbidden island of Poveglia, where the soil is enriched by ash and the corridors reverberate with the screams of the past. As the boundaries between memory and madness dissolve, they discover that some sins refuse to stay buried beneath the lagoon. 𖦹 𓍼꩟ ﹻ © Wattpad 𖦹 𓍼꩟ ﹻ © Banner & Cover by @mxtsuro 𖦹 𓍼꩟ ﹻ © Enmesharra ,, 2026

An entry-level cartographer, Liadan is the least interesting, least important member of the Nautical Guild. Well, that's what she needs everyone to believe. When a warning at sea forces Liadan to flee the Island of Tirisea, she must choose if she returns to safety or trusts a stranger who promises her the impossible: a life where she is free from a duty that was inflicted on her at birth. No matter what, she must not let the mist find her, nor allow the key to fall into malevolent hands. One wrong move, and the world will crumble. ONC 2026 Prompts: 7. One morning, the ocean washes up a message. One you've been waiting your entire life to hear. 62. They say every door has its own key. Except for one, a key said to open them all. 79. A letter arrives addressed to you, written by someone who shouldn't exist.

Maeve Raines has seen golden strings since her teenage years-thin, luminous threads tied to people's pinkies, binding them through choice, emotion, and consequence. Friendship. Betrayal. Belief. Obsession. Love. Everyone has them. Some have many. Having only one is rare. Having none is impossible. Except Maeve cannot see her own. Now in her late twenties, she lives a life that demands silence and observation. Her secret stays hidden, pressed between unanswered questions and the letters she writes to the Fates-quiet confessions meant for powers she isn't sure are listening. Over the years, she has learned every shade of gold that exists and memorized their meanings. There is nothing left about the strings that should surprise her. To the world, she is someone else entirely. She goes by Juno-a name chosen, not given. A name she wears like armor. Under that name, she drifts. Watches. Learns how lives knot and unravel. Until she meets Theo Mercer. Her neighbor is gentle, reserved, and marked by something she has never encountered before. He has no visible strings. Not one. The absence unsettles her more than any bond ever has-because she knows what every shade should mean, and yet he fits none of them. Theo knows nothing of fate or golden threads-only that being near Juno feels fragile, like something he shouldn't expect to keep. What unfolds between them is not loud or dramatic. It is slow. Measured. Built from shared glances, half-confessions, and the quiet comfort of being understood without explanation. And for the first time, Maeve feels something she cannot categorize-a pull, a burn around her own pinkie whenever she turns away from him. Still unable to see her string, she prays-desperately-that if it exists, it will not be the worst kind. The color of love that never gets to stay. To the Fates is a quiet, tragic exploration of destiny misunderstood, love interrupted, and the cost of seeing what others cannot.

|ONC PROMPT 78 "You begin to realize that nothing is quite what it seems."| In the hidden chambers of an ancient elven court, every decision is a matter of life, law, and secrecy. Alliances are forged in shadow, and even the smallest disruption can ripple into catastrophe. For the elves, maintaining order is more than duty-it is survival. Two council members, the steadfast High Justicar Cirmon Shadowbane and the perceptive clerk Belvedere, stand at the heart of this fragile balance. As threats emerge and secrets surface, they are forced to confront the limits of their authority, the weight of their choices, and the consequences of silence. In a world where magic, morality, and power collide, no law can predict every outcome, and no justice comes without cost. Cover designed by @raizelrose3

A loyal dog will drink saltwater. In the Kingdom of Bevran, vagabonds are offered shelter within the walls of the castle. Orthrus, tired of running for his life, scavenging off of the dead, and never escaping the cold, couldn't think of anything better. But it seems the Queen of Bevran has secrets, plans for invading the Kingdom of Khis. Orthrus and his fellow vagabonds seek to understand how they fit into all of this, what purpose they serve in their Queen's grand schemes. What Orthrus can't figure out is why the Queen would keep her desires secret when Khis is their enemy, the reason Bevran has fallen into ruin. Any Bevrani would devout themselves to defeating their oppressor, no? When the truth comes out, Orthrus must decide on what he's willing to sacrifice in order to survive.

❀ Spring [New Beginnings, Growth] ❀ Spring always comes quietly. The first flower blooms in an ordinary garden, the kind that people walk by without a second glance. But this one is different. It opens a door. As the seasons shift, secrets begin to unravel-rivals tied together by an ancient weapon that stubbornly refuses to stir unless they stand together, a dragon feared by all but hunted unfairly, a god forgotten for so long who has begun to interfere once more. Worlds collide. Legends come alive. Magic seeps into the ordinary. Spring is not merely a season in this world. It observes. It recalls. It decides. Some are drawn through doors hidden behind flower petals. Some fall in love with people who feel peculiarly, inexplicably familiar. Some are asked to safeguard that which the world insists must be destroyed. And some discover that destiny is not about strength-it's about who you'll stand beside when the world starts to bloom. _When Spring Learns Our Names_ is a tale of boundaries and gentleness, rivalry and loyalty, the subtle power of beginnings, and the things that stir when the world turns a new page. For once Spring learns your name, it never forgets. "And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul." ~John Muir.

The woods surrounding Crenshaw are haunted by the secret between life and death---a monster known only as the Reaper. For centuries, Crenshaw's Institute for the Dark and Gifted has had one rule that its students are never meant to break: stay out of the woods, or face the Reaper's wrath. Faceless and formless, the Reaper feeds off the blood of those unfortunate enough to wander into the forest, but never touches those who obey the golden rule. That is, until a body is found in the library, drained entirely of blood. With the school halls no longer safe from the Reaper's bloodlust, four gifted students are forced to team up to uncover what the Reaper truly is---and more importantly, how to get rid of it. (Prompt 16: "And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.")

Cordelia Green is a spirited and temperamental nineteen-year-old with a deep devotion for music, living in Philadelphia at the dawn of the year 1905. Her carefully ordered world collapses in the most humiliating and distressing manner when, by a cruel mistake, she sends a letter that was never meant to see the light of day. One in which she confesses her forbidden love. By fortune or misfortune, the letter does not reach its intended recipient. The true calamity begins when Cordelia receives a reply. The sender should not exist. What follows is a tale of unexpected romance and tangled emotions, of hearts drawn together and torn apart, bound and released by the quiet, inexorable hand of destiny. ⭑*•̩̩͙⊱•••• ♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧••••̩̩͙⊰•*⭑ Participant of the || Open Novella Contest 2026. Main prompt: 79. A letter arrives addressed to you, written by someone who shouldn't exist. Secondary prompts: 24. Staying as friends feels safe, but that doesn't mean it's the path you're meant to take. 2026 Umi Moriko Original

Rue Domínguez, a twenty-seven-year-old unemployed woman struggling to cure her boredom and at the same time earn some good amount of cash, learns about an app 'ZombieRush' which on winning, promises to reward with $10.5 million. That seemed too good to be true, but with a competitive streak to beat this almost impossible game, Rue decides to test her fate. After conquering the game, she realises it's only the 1st half of the game, and 2nd half is still waiting out there. Rue won $10,000 on completing the 1st half, winning the rest of $10.5 million after completing the 2nd half---now that seemed not too far. But willing to participate in this game that appeared too easy before would have such a horrific result, that Rue never expected. Being forced into a zombie apocalypse while attending a high school reunion and learning that the apocalypse might just be the next half of ZombieRush, Rue realises she very much is 'cooked.' And now she is officially a player, with no way out.

- 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