The Eye has seen-the world will end, unless the apocalypse is properly thwarted. Unfortunately, this task has been handed to the two worst people for the job. Gadowyn Harker is a poison-peddling witch of the Gold City with a curse: if she loves, she will lose her powers-and herself. Beau "The Beautificent" Beguile (not his real name) is a smug necromancer who cons the rich and has a lifelong allergy to love, and all its messy bits. Now they must do the unthinkable: bring a dragon and a future knight-princess-sworn enemy of dragonkind-together, romantically. The world would do well to start praying; the chances of success are slim at best. Meanwhile, the Gold City teeters on the brink of collapse, undead roam the streets (entirely Beau's fault), and the end of the world draws ever closer. Somehow, Gadowyn and Beau must save it all with love-without falling prey to it themselves. First draft written for ONC 2026 | Main Prompts 11 & 98

When a mage is found dead, and, at a rough measurement, at least a head shorter, the only clue to his fate lies in the key gripped in his hand. A very magical key that sets the leaders in the Guild of Mages, Prestidigitators, Illusionists and General Wielders of Magic (not including Witches) in a bit of a quandary, because none of them want to touch it. Thus, the investigation is left in the thoroughly incapable hands of the three mages in the highly dangerous, very almost deadly on a daily basis, Thaumatological Gubbins Department of the Guild. Accompanied by a young(ish, these are mages after all) member of the Guild tasked with recording the progress of the investigation, the three mages set out on a perilous journey that will involve several belligerent doors, a three cart race, and, probably, a number of people wondering what the Hel is going on and why one of the mages continues to shout 'Power!' at every opportunity. An ONC novella like no other.

Joaquin Reyes has learned how to stay without holding on too tightly. Samuel Carter has learned how to build a life that doesn't collapse under pressure. When their lives intersect, what forms between them is not a dramatic romance, but a steady companionship shaped by attention, restraint, and choice. They move through ordinary days, distance, success, and silence without rushing to define what they are. Instead, they learn how to share space-how to witness each other without control, how to remain without fear of loss. This is a novel about love that doesn't announce itself, connection that doesn't demand possession, and the quiet work of choosing someone again and again, not because it is urgent, but because it holds. Written for the Open Novella Contest 2026. Main prompt #24: Staying as friends feels safe, but that doesn't mean it's the path you're meant to take.

"You won't die in this one." *** Spencer Feynman exists in two universes. In both, she's a writer. In one, she's already a ghost. The headlines called it a suicide. Peter Wallshack calls it a lie. He's the only one who believes she was murdered-and the only one who realizes the killer might be following her across worlds. A story that takes more than one Universe... Can they rewrite the ending? Or is Spencer destined to be a tragedy in every world? #ONC2026

Nicole Brenner has been missing for three years. Sort of. Trapped between worlds and bound to a cabin deep in Pennsylvania's western mountains, Nic has spent every day since keeping an ancient evil locked behind the door at the end of the hall, and trying not to lose her mind. She's got a grimoire she's memorized cover to cover, a weepy cryptid named Pierogi, and exactly two weeks of corporeality per year to shore up defenses against the monsters called to kill her. Then Cal Muir walks through her front door - ex-Navy SEAL, ex-almost-something, and the last person she ever expected to see again. He's here to find out what happened to her; he doesn't know she's standing right behind him; and he's wasted no time dismantling her meager defenses (and she cannot stress enough how much of a problem that is). Now Nic has six days to figure out how to save a man who can't see her, from monsters he doesn't believe in, before Halloween night blows the door open for good - all while reckoning with the fact that the magic she once told him wasn't real might be the only thing that saves them. A second-chance paranormal romance steeped in Penn Dutch folklore, veteran mental health representation, and the kind of magic that challenges both fate and faith.

At Westbrook High, winning isn't optional. It's legacy. English teacher Clara Bennett has ruled the academic rankings for years. Her class, 11-A, has always been untouchable, despite her long-simmering rivalry with history teacher Evan Cole, all confidence, crooked smiles, and smug remarks. And everyone knew. Then one test flips the scoreboard. 11-C takes the lead. And rivalry turns into a full-war. When the administration announces a district-wide ranking, Clara and Evan stop pretending it's just professional. They push each other harder, sharper, closer. What they don't notice is that their students notice everything first. The arguments that linger, the tension crackling during shared periods, the looks that don't match the insults. The rumors start quietly. Then the shipping begins. Then the whole school is watching. Forced proximity, late nights, and a competition that feels dangerously personal blur the line between hatred and desire. Because winning feels different when the person you're trying to beat is also the one you can't stop thinking about. And some rules are hardest to follow when the classrooms are empty. ------------------------------------------------ Written for Open Novella Contest 2026 ------------------------------------------------ Prompt chosen is: 55. Two teachers at the same school are determined to outdo each other by having the top-scoring class. But when their students start enthusiastically shipping them, the rivalry takes a very unexpected turn. ------------------------------------------------

​[ 2026 Open Novella Contest Entry ] ​Jane Newton isn't grieving; she's furious. ​Two years after burying her husband, Mark, a security protocol triggers in her empty home, revealing a digital ghost that shatters her reality. She didn't bury the truth-she buried a stranger. ​Mark wasn't the quiet graphic designer she loved. He was a cyber-intelligence specialist who staged his own death in the midst of a plot at the highest levels of power. Now, Jane is the accidental courier of evidence of a looming assassination-and the only person who knows that Mark is still alive. ​With SQUID tracking her every digital heartbeat, Jane must vanish into the analogue world. But when the hunters take her sister, Jane stops running. ​In a world built on encrypted lies, the truth is the most lethal weapon of all.

He has never been in love. Yet every night, thousands of people trust him with their heartbreak. As the voice behind a late-night radio show, he listens to confessions whispered in the dark-stories of loss, regret, and forgiveness. He understands pain well enough to guide others through it. Well enough to sound like someone who's lived it. When a caller begins asking questions he isn't prepared to answer, the carefully crafted story he tells on air starts to take on a life of its own. And as listeners grow attached to a love that never existed, he's forced to confront how long borrowed voices can hold up a borrowed truth. Because some stories heal. And some refuse to stay under control.

They were born to oppose each other. Arin Valen was raised by the Order....disciplined, loyal, destined to inherit a legendary weapon said to end wars. Lyra Veyl, she was everything he despised..reckless, sharp-tongued, and openly defiant of destiny itself. When the ancient weapon finally awakens, it delivers an impossible truth. It chose both of them. Bound by prophecy and rivalry, the two sworn enemies discover the weapon will not activate for one heir alone. It demands unity. Trust. Cooperation. Things they do not have. Forced into an alliance neither wants, they must survive assassins, secrets, and a weapon that reacts dangerously to their emotions. Every fight pulls them closer. Every argument pushes them apart. If they fail to work together, the weapon will destroy itself- and take the world with it. Because some legends are not wielded by strength alone. They are forged by two who never wanted each other... but might need each other to survive.

He was sent to rescue her. Not to care. Not to stay. Definitely not to fall. Leonardo Nico Russo doesn't do mercy. As the youngest heir of one of Europe's most feared crime families, he solves problems with precision-and leaves no loose ends behind. Until April Holloway. April Holloway. Missing. Caught in the shadows of human trafficking. What begins as a mission turns into something neither of them expected. Pulled from violence and fear, April finds herself in the arms of a man built from danger and silence. And Leonardo-who has spent his life commanding chaos-discovers that some souls don't arrive loudly. They arrive quietly. They leave footprints on your heart. Set against a world of power, bloodlines, and hidden wars, 'In His Arms' is a mafia romance about rescue, resilience, and the fragile connection between two souls-where protection becomes devotion, and survival slowly turns into love. Because sometimes, the person who saves you... is the one who changes you forever. Author's Note Hello, lovely readers! This is my first time participating in the Open Novella Contest, and I couldn't be more excited (and terrified 😅). ONC Prompt #29 (Excerpt) - Some people leave footprints on your heart. 'In His Arms' is unfolding in between lesson plans, late nights, and stolen moments of quiet-because by day, I'm a teacher, and by heart, I'm a storyteller. This story grew during coffee breaks, after-school exhaustion, and those magical midnight hours when the world sleeps and characters start talking. The story begins inside Leonardo's world-his missions, his shadows, his dangerous precision. The first few chapters unfold entirely from his perspective, focusing on the rescue and the life he inhabits. April's voice enters later-three years after their paths first cross-when she is older, stronger, and finally ready to tell her side of the story. Thank you for giving this story a chance. And welcome to my ONC journey. 🤍 With love, Thiya J