"You never imagined the end of the world would begin with a one-eared black cat showing up at your door..." Mara Bennett's quiet life is shattered when a mysterious black cat appears on her doorstep. Every day at the same hour, the cat slips away, disappearing into the city. When Mara finally follows it, she uncovers a hidden world of secrets, omens, and forces beyond her comprehension. Now, with the clock ticking and the world quietly unraveling, Mara must decide: Follow the cat into the darkness, or let the end come unchallenged? Entry for the Open Novella Contest 2026

Elara Vesper is not unlucky in love. She is cursed. Every suitor who wins her heart finds his true soulmate... the moment he leaves her. Dubbed the Grim Reaper of Relationships by the gossip of the Aurelian Empire, the duke's daughter has accepted a lonely fate. But when a secret mission goes awry, she uncovers the first secret involving her greatest rival, the knight Kaelen Hale. Now, strange forces are converging around her. A charming stranger who knows too much. A bodyguard of living shadow. And even her own pet cat is behaving oddly. To survive the sinister conspiracy now haunting her, Elara must unravel the truth behind her curse. Is it a punishment, a protection, or the key to a prophecy that demands she trust the very people fate has pushed into her path-and her heart? Some curses are meant to be broken. This one might be the only thing keeping her alive.

Hyunjin has worked as the grim reaper for the last millenia, but not once has he fallen for anyone. Seungmin is an immortal being with a dark past, who lives in the form of a stray puppy after losing his powers. After living through years of mockery, he finally wants to end his endless pain- but a chance encounter changes both their fates... manxman- pls don't read if you're uncomfortable with this concept :) (and no hate pls) ot8 skz fanfiction :) This is written using prompts from the Open Novella Contest 2026!! ⚠️!Disclaimer! Graphic descriptions of violence included- but overall meant to be a sad happy fluffy story.⚠️ Includes other skz ships too! Prompts used: Main prompt- 65: On the way to collect a soul, the Grim Reaper is distracted by a stray puppy, and decides to find its owner, much to the annoyance of their assistant. Second prompt- 114. An immortal being, worn down by centuries of mockery and tired after being discarded by everyone around him starts searching for a way to finally end themselves. But DEATH, who has grown infatuated and with them refuses to let them go. (edited prompt) ⚠️Includes annoyed, grumpy gods- read with caution...⚠️

It is the fall of 1598 when Gábor Hunyadi, the first general of Emperor Rudolph II., arrives at Čachtice castle. Not long after, he is dead and his successor Vilmos Tóth finds himself confronted with the mystery surrounding the case he now has to solve. Although he soon finds a confidant in the widow Dorottya, his key witness of all people doesn't talk - and seems to suffer from acute amnesia. And then there is the deceased general's nephew who has apparently disappeared without a trace... ─── ⋆⋅♱⋅⋆ ─── My entry to the OpenNovellaContest 2026 ©2026

My job is to take people out. Make sure they're quiet, for good, never to speak again. To make them disappear forever. And to of course, dispose of any evidence of my being there. One second I was doing all of the above, the next I find myself, taking one out of the baby seat strapped to my back seat. Try different tactics to make them quiet when they get too loud. To find them when they disappear. And of course having to dispose of their crime scenes, all of the evidence as if it never happened. I am so not prepared for this secret undercover mission. Not at all. Worse, it's a personal, mission.

​[ 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.

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

[Right person, wrong lifetime.] Damien never got to confess his feelings, not before the world stole his love away. But death isn't the end. For them, death is the beginning. When Damien dies and finds himself stuck in the afterlife, he comes face-to-face with the boy he's loved his entire life... except Lucas doesn't remember anything. He doesn't remember dying, his own name, or Damien. As they navigate through a world woven from memories and starlight, Damien must decide: schould he help Lucas rediscover the bond they once had, or protect him from the truth of how their lives ended?

Kennedy "Ken" Duvall thought being a vampire would change her life for the better. She certainly didn't have much going on before being turned by her maker, a timid gentleman by the name of Timothy. One night, however, when Timid Timothy goes missing after a hunt gone wrong, it's up to Ken to chase him down and set him straight. Because as much as she wants to deny it, life without him as a new fledgling has been harder than she thought. Without him, she actually sucks as a vampire-- pun intended. "81. Unalluring and bumbling, your character is the world's worst vampire."