A loyal hound 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. ♙♙♙ For the Open Novella Contest 2026 | Cover designed by me | Prompt 80 Current Word Count - 2,000

A year ago, Carter DuBois plunged the world into an endless night, the remnants of his army made of sinister shapeshifters still lingering in the shadows as mankind fights for survival. In a last-ditch effort to reverse the damage he caused, Harper Jones visits Carter in prison just hours before his execution to offer him life in return for lifting the darkness, but he maintains his innocence. When Harper touches him, she's transported to a parallel dimension in the past. Now, she has to race against time to uncover the truth to save not only her own world but this dimension as well. Is Carter a scapegoat or is he the criminal mastermind everyone has made him out to be? If she gets it wrong, all will be lost, and that the Carter of this dimension is her husband doesn't make her quest any easier. ~~~~ This is my ONC 2026 entry based on the following prompts: #64: You touch someone who is accused of a crime and are suddenly transported to a different time and dimension. To return home, you must uncover the truth behind the accusation. But if your final judgment is wrong, you will carry the consequences yourself. #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. ~~~~ © Sal Mason/Fire Rose 2026

Edmund comes to the remote village of Black Thickett to escape the life grief has carved out of him. He wants silence. Distance. A place where memories can't follow. But Black Thickett is wrong in quiet, unsettling ways. The broken road becomes perfectly smooth the moment he crosses the boundary. The cottages are too neat, too deliberate. And on a noticeboard full of dry flyers, only one poster is wet. A missing boy, smiling as if he doesn't know he's lost. The villagers won't talk about the disappearances. The forest at the edge of the village seems to breathe, and the deeper Edmund goes, the calmer he feels... dangerously calm. The forest can quiet his pain. It can ease his grief. It can make him forget. But not everything that heals you wants you to survive. Welcome to Black Thickett, where you'll find my entry into the ONC 2026.

Santiago thought visiting Greece for his 30th birthday would be harmless. A little sun, a little flirting, maybe a date with a beautiful man named Apollo. The date doesn't go well. All Santiago wants afterward is a quick snack before heading back to his hostel - except the apple he takes was never meant for human guests. At The Lily Spa, a luxury retreat catering to gods who desperately need rest, one accidental bite turns Santiago into a problem. An immortal one. Ganymede, the hotel's unflappable manager, and his equally unconventional staff have very little time to hide their human guest before the other residents notice. And the gods staying at the spa are already difficult enough: Hera and Zeus are perpetually on the brink of catastrophe, Dionysus keeps throwing parties in the swimming pool, and no one reacts well to surprises involving eternity. As divine tempers flare and old rules begin to crack, Santiago learns the truth about the hotel, its staff, and the quiet systems keeping gods from tearing the world apart. Some mistakes change everything. Some places exist to contain them. And some encounters happen exactly where they shouldn't - above the ocean, below the sky.

Thirty-two-year-old Isabelle's life is unraveling. She's given up her dreams of becoming an author in favour of an abusive marriage. Desperate to escape yet another violent argument, she drives off and ends up on the other side of town. Seeking refuge, she walks into a dingy bar. To her surprise, a poetry reading is taking place. Desperate to lose herself, she decides to stay for a drink. On stage, beyond the smoky fog, a man with feral eyes and elaborate tattoos is reciting his work. Belle is instantly captivated by the man's words and his haunting beauty. Dominic is twenty-three, a poet from the wrong side of town with shattered dreams and a drug addiction. When Dom spots Isabelle, he is enthralled. Embarking on a forbidden romance, Dom ushers Isabelle into a dark and seductive world - one full of intoxication and freedom, a world that Belle would risk anything to stay in. Prompt number 29. You will meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, some will leave footprints on your heart. Disclaimer: This is a dark romance story; there are adult themes, spicy scenes, abuse, swearing, and typical Christine darkness. There's no s/a, or animal abuse. This is an AI-free story. I don't use apps like ChatGPT, etc., to write my work. Everything good and everything that sucks has come from the Muse inside my head, who dictates what I have to write. The emdashes are here because I have become obsessed with them. The way I write, all prosy and flowery, is my signature style - I can't help it.

Zanrok is an orc fresh out of college. He is welcomed home, but knows that as a bard, he'll never truly fit into his tribe filled with warriors, and thus leaves to travel Faerien in hopes to make a living. He makes a name for himself, and somehow not only manages to become a Court Jester at Hartbrueage Castle, but also stealing the heart of both His and Her Royal Majesty. But then the King is murdered, and the Queen is prime suspect. It is up to Zanrok to not only clear the Queens name, but also avenge the Kings death. Not an easy task for a simple bard.

❝𝑩𝒖𝒕, 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆, 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅'𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒍𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒃𝒐𝒘 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒐... 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒆𝒍𝒔𝒆, 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍?❞ Professor Hans Dominique is London International University's newest professor-disciplined, calm, and impossible to read. Obsessed with meeting the mysterious founder, he studies her patterns and influence, blinding him from someone else's motives.. When a withdrawn student leaves behind a notebook filled with unsolved, real cases, Hans finds stories that are far more than fiction. The final story points to the founder as a mastermind, and the supposed victim... is him. With the last pages blank, Hans must confront a possibility he cannot control. After all... he's not himself when he's hungry. - For the Open Novella Contest 2026 Used prompts: 78 & 109 UNEDITED | FIRST DRAFT First part posted on Wattpad: 02 | 24 | 26 First chapter posted on Wattpad: 02 | 28 | 26 Last chapter posted on Wattpad: 04 | - | 26 Wordcount per chapter: ~2500 Overall word count: ~ starisredy © All rights reserved Only on W a t t p a d .

Bronhini, the storm queen, sends out her pet dragon to turn the skirmish her men are losing. A lone warrior stands up to the beast - a brave, but useless act. When Laiàn learns about the courageous last stand of her brother, she is devastated. But not everything is as it seems... Based on the prompt #29: "You will meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, but some will leave footprints on your heart."

She wakes with missing hours, a burning imprint carved into her shoulder, and no memory of who put it there. Nyxara Blackvein is an assassin who survives by control. Control over her body. Her blades. Her choices. But the mark beneath her skin has a will of its own, pulling her toward Stillreach-a city protected by an impossible shield and a power no one dares to name. Torin Cross was never part of the plan. A half-elf swordsman with a charming smile and secrets of his own, he's headed in the same direction for reasons that don't quite add up. When violence forces them to fight side by side, trust forms before either of them is ready for it. Whatever waits in Stillreach is already watching. Prompts used. 32. Two assassins from rival organizations are sent on the same secret mission, only to realize the assignment holds a much bigger truth. 86. A wasteland hides pockets of thriving communities protected by mysterious shields. 99. You wake up with a strange mark on your skin after a late-night encounter you can barely remember, and its meaning grows more unsettling by the hour.

Ten years ago, Rose died in an accident. Except she didn't. Not really. She was bitten. Now, on the edge of sixteen, the ten-year clock is running out. The hunger has started. Her reflection lies. Her memories glitch. And Cree - the vampire who marked her - is back. He didn't choose to turn her. The government made him. He's not here to finish the job. He's here to claim what he started in her, before OPHELIA does. A slow-burn supernatural horror about growing up, falling apart, and turning into something you're not. ONC | 2026 #16 And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul. (Quote by John Muir) #104 While wandering through the woods, you dismiss the rustling behind you as nothing more than the wind through the trees until you turn around and realize it isn't the wind at all.