|ONC 2026 · NOVELLA #1| #SupportIndigenousVoices A gifted teen embarks on a journey to join two tribes during the Last Age, as they search for the mystical Bering Land Bridge. *** Fifteen-year-old Khochu, the only surviving child of Vika and Sasha, wants only one thing: to find a place where humans and animals can live in peace from the bitter Ice Age--a place he has dreamed about for years--and prove his sickly family's strength. However, his life changes when he's chosen to begin his rite of passage early and meets Nikita, a cannibal girl from a neighboring tribe, who is also struggling to find food in the icy world. As the two begin to bond and explore Khochu's unique gift of animal whispering, Khochu learns he is the key to everything: a door that forces the rival tribes together across the icy steppes. As they search for a new life, Khochu and his animal friends must use their gifts to protect the tribes from predators. Still, the connection between Khochu and Nikita begins to interfere with Khochu's test, which is not good for a boy trying to prove that the Bering Land Bridge isn't a myth. Is growing up really this difficult? *** *ONC 2026 Prompt used: Number 61 - "They say every door has its own key. Except for one, a key said to open them all." *Note: My writing style resembles screenwriting, so please judge it accordingly.* *Word Count: 20,000-25,000.*

When you think of vampires, you probably think of Dracula or--shudder--Edward Cullens. You know what I mean: the romanticized, sexy version of a vampire. The one with sparkly skin and a charismatic compulsion. Hot. Sexy. Let's be real here, Gary Oldman really set the bar, right? But what fiction doesn't tell you is that being a vampire is messy and, quite frankly, HARD. It's ugly and lonely, and don't even get me started about tracking down blood. I'm wanted in every province (ever hear of the Bloody Killer? Yeah, that's me. Totally lame serial killer moniker, by the way, RCMP). I didn't have the choice to turn into a vampire, but, boy, did my creator pick the wrong person. Out of control, clumsy, drunk, messy, blah, blah, blah. You get the idea. I know, I should probably see a therapist, huh? Well, my trail of bloodless bodies soon catches up to me when a chance encounter with a hottie in a cafe leaves me with his phone by mistake, and I realize just how f***ed I am. And as I do my best to keep him away (while trying to survive as a vampire), I can't help but fall for the cafe hottie, putting a stake on my life. *** ONC '26 prompts: #56 and #81

Odessa Jones is just trying to survive life in New Varnica, the monster-run metropolis where humans live uneasily among the supernatural elite. She shares a rent-controlled apartment in the chaotic Fringe District with her best friend Zola, a half-siren lounge singer. So when Zola goes missing after Odessa's birthday party, Odessa does what any deeply exhausted, conspiracy-prone woman would do: She hacks the club's ownership records, tracks down the elusive "S. Varn" linked to it...and accidentally kidnaps the physical embodiment of Sloth, one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Salazar Varn is no ordinary crime lord. He's not even just a monster. He's an ageless, darkly powerful primal being who governs stillness, surrender, and the seductive pull of doing absolutely nothing. But instead of vaporizing Odessa, Salazar is amused. He offers to help find Zola eager to avoid work. While they bicker, flirt, and investigate their situationship spirals into a city-wide misadventure

When Teia Cloto travels to Naples, Italy, hoping to steady a life already quietly unravelling, the last thing she needs is 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. #ONC2026 contest. Story is complete. Prompt 24: Staying as friends is meant to be safe, but that doesn't mean it's the path you're meant to take; Prompt 28: Self-love often starts small, like planting a seed. With time, patience, and a bit of light, it will grow; and Prompt 29: You meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, but some will leave footprints on your heart.

In the soot-stained city of Iron Haze, the sky is a forgotten memory. While the world stares at neon screens and metal streets, seventeen-year-old Elara is the only one who looks up. She is the only one who can hear them-the stars. ​But the stars aren't singing; they are whispering in terror as they vanish from the sky, one by one. ​When a grumpy, fading star named Pip crashes into her life, Elara discovers a devastating secret: stars are fueled by human dreams, and the world has stopped wishing. To save the sky from the cold grip of Baron Vane, the Shadow King who thrives on apathy, Elara must find the song that can reignite the universe. ​In a world that has grown silent, one girl's voice might be the only echo of hope left. ​A whimsical, musical journey about the courage to dream when the world is in the dark. ONC 2026 Prompt 69

(Nocturnal Law Series) One fatal night changes everything. Vampire detective Percy Ashmidia hunts down the worst supernatural criminals in all of Sanguine City, but he's chasing ghosts trying to figure out the identity of their latest killer. A fresh lead has him eager to uncover their identity, only to find himself fallen for a sinister trap that nearly costs his own sorry fangs. Injured, he stumbles into a witch-run clinic just before the sun rises and encounters a very exhausted, handsome witch doctor who doesn't have the heart to turn him away.

When 15-year-old Izel Aziz gets a note during his last period at school, warning him not to touch any electronics in his home, he thinks nothing of it (or at least thinks he doesn't.) That is, of course, when he goes to log into his and his sister's co-op save of Moonwillow Hollow, only for him to be sucked into the game upon pressing the save file. When he enters the game due to being sick of having to be stuck in the closet, though, everything seems a lot more real than he thought this pixel filled world would be... ONC Prompts: 8. You wake up inside Stardew Valley with no idea how you got there and no guarantee you'll ever get back home. 79. A letter arrives addressed to you, written by someone who shouldn't exist.

Three months ago, Press Gregor was the most popular mage influencer at Vale College. He had the brand deals, the enchanted content and the boyfriend everyone envied. Then came that stupid garden party. Now Press can't remember what happened that night. All he knows is that his magic combusted, someone got hurt and Mateo Santos, the boy he loves, broke up with him before the smoke cleared. Fresh out of magical rehab and forced to live with his ex's mother, an arcanist assigned to monitor his recovery, Press is trying to rebuild. But the people closest to him seem invested in making sure he never remembers what really happened. When a blackmailer gives him five days to leave Caldera Heights or watch his worst night go public, Press realizes the combustion that ruined his life might not have been his fault. Someone wanted him gone. Someone may have cursed him. And the conspiracy runs deeper than one garden party. Now Press has five days to clear his name and survive a world where old money, new magic and dangerous secrets collide. The closer he gets to the truth, the more he realizes that everyone around him has something to hide. Including the boy who broke his heart.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ Updates weekly.

She repairs broken memories - but who will repair the truth? ***** Nova Aurion understands how fragile memory can be - she mends it for a living. In a world where memory is currency and abilities define worth, society is divided into Endowments: cognitive classes established to preserve stability. Every three years, the nation hosts 'Project Elite' - a prestigious competition honoring the finest minds from each Endowment. Within the high-stakes arena, they contend not only for victory, but for the recognition to lead their future. When Nova, a Memory Diver renowned for restoring fractured minds, is selected to compete - she enters the Project, determined to win. However, survival demands more than mere intellect; it requires strategy, perception and sacrifice. As alliances shift and sparks ignite, a forbidden dive into a stranger's memory leaves Nova deeply unsettled, leading to a chilling realisation: what if Project Elite isn't designed to measure brilliance at all - but to harvest something far more dangerous? Caught between a charming rival, a skeptical ally, and a system that predicts every move, she must confront a choice that could reshape humanity itself - Is an unpredictable future worth the risk of chaos... or is controlled stability the safest path to preservation? ************************** ONC prompt (main): 111: With a single touch, you can slip into someone else's memories. But when a stranger shows you a future crime involving you, you must uncover the truth before it comes to pass.

New chapters coming soon! • A Greykin Chronicles Origin Story • What the hell did a mutt like Emrys think he was doing entering the Redblood Trials? Winning, that was what. He'd prove he was more than an outcast runt, and he'd become the first of his kind to claim a place in the Monarchy. *** Since the beginning of the human-Caeleste war, Emrys' pack has moved from territory to territory. When they finally reach the Pactlands, a city far from the chaos and neutral ground between the surrounding packs, it is immediately made clear that mutts aren't welcome, and runts never last long. Unfortunately, Emrys is both. If it weren't for Finn, he wouldn't have survived long enough to witness the twentieth Grey Moon. With it comes the Redblood Trials, a brutal tournament which promises the victor a royal title. That was his chance to prove that a mutt was more than a revolting cross of far too many bloodlines. But his fight for survival starts before he can even sign up. Driven from the city by the Silveinbloods, he trespasses into forbidden woodland, a place no wolf dared to go. Abandoning sense and instinct alike, he ventures into the ruin of an old castle, where he uncovers an ancient Aegis artifact. However, the discovery doesn't promise fame and fortune; it warns that entering the trials will bring only danger and despair. With the moon just around the corner, he has to decide what he fears more: a life forever of humiliation and seclusion, or the apparent fate waiting for him in the arena. ❅ Dark Fantasy ❅ Mystery-Thriller ❅ MxM Romance ❅ Werewolves vs Wolf Walkers ❅ Word Count: 18,085 ─────────────────────────────────── ✵ Numenverse year: 1150 2026 © Tate Csernis