|| ONC 2026 Round 1 Winner || Martin Marvingale lives by two rules: work hard and put others first. So when a baby dragon rips a hole in reality above his freshly planted petunias and the desperate fairytale land inside begs him to step in as their king, he says yes. Turns out, their old king got cursed with zombie-ism, and now a horde of undead nobility are ravaging the countryside. The castle is suffering from a bad bout of slime, the peasants are one more cancelled festival away from revolting, and none of the local lords (who aren't brain-eating monsters) seem to be interested in lifting a finger to help. His only hope at putting things back to rights is to make nice with a princess who hates his face -- and the fact that he might have accidentally just stolen her job. Undeterred, Martin plans to win her over by being the best king anyone could ask for. Which would be a little easier if he knew what a fairytale king was supposed to do exactly. Or how he was supposed to look. Or... anything about his kingdom, really. In retrospect, maybe he should have asked a few more questions before taking the job. ____________________ Cover © 2026 Avadel Ink

Misty Hollis is used to being alone. After years of working from home, keeping careful routines, and watching everyone else move forward, Misty has convinced herself that quiet is safer than wanting too much. Safer than being compared. Safer than being seen. Then her newly adopted cat, Eliot, starts escaping every day at exactly 3:30. Following him leads Misty to an overgrown garden, a sharp-eyed grandmother named Jenny, and Alastair Ward. Reserved, protective, and impossible to read, Alastair has built his own walls around duty and loss. Jenny sees something in Misty that Misty can barely admit to herself, and suddenly Misty is pulled into a world of family expectations, old grief, awkward parties, and a man whose attention feels both terrifying and impossible to ignore. Alastair doesn't do easy. Misty doesn't do vulnerable. But the more their lives tangle together, the harder it becomes to pretend that comfort is enough, or that being alone is the same as being safe. Because Eliot may have led Misty to Alastair's door. But staying will have to be her choice. A slow-burn romance about loneliness, found family, healing, and the terrifying sweetness of finally being seen. ============ #ONC2026 Prompt 5 =========== AI-assisted: The blurb for this story was developed with AI tools. The story itself is entirely written by the author with AI grammar assist only. =========== © 2026 Deborah Valtierra. All rights reserved. Following Eliot is published exclusively on Wattpad. If you see it anywhere else, it has been shared without permission.

The Kurczaka Travelling Inn has been in Meluza Dovhun's family for generations, an open door and empty room to all sorts of guests. Suffice to say, Mel has seen her fair share of the unusual, whether from working at the front desk or helping clean out rooms. Really, there's not a whole lot that could surprise her anymore. That is, until a human shows up at the hotel's doorstep, and Kurczak decides to saunter off before Mel can get him to leave. Now, Mel's only hope is to hide the human's presence and pray none of the gods and spirits (or even worse, her grandmother) take notice before she can get him home. (Plus, her sister keeps getting into trouble with the rusalki, her mother is falling into serious religious practices, and the guests are causing trouble left, right, and center.) ONC 2026 PROMPT #113 COVER BY: @AlexandraLing2000

Annalise's morning began like any other, rushing to finish some procrastinated homework while jamming to her go-to 80s playlist. But when she walks out to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat before school, she discovers her mother not moving in front of the sink...with the water coming from the faucet not moving either. A few minutes later, time starts moving again, with nobody else having knowledge of it freezing in the first place. Will Annalise figure out the secrets behind stopping time? What else might she discover with her newfound mysterious gift?

🏆 ONC 2026 Ambassador Pick 🏆 Dead men tell no tales. Or so they say... Having survived a series of catastrophes, disgraced detective Penny Dubois is thinking of retirement. After all, she sees no reason to come back. However, everything changes when her best friend, Irma Hale, is framed for the murder of renowned heiress Charity Payne, and all the clues point towards her. The victim's ghost is summoned from the dead and says she's guilty. As a necromancer, Penny instantly recognises that the seance had been rehearsed, but she must keep it a secret, because if she gets found out, it could be her awaiting the final sentence. As the clock ticks, Penny must start a new investigation and find out who the real killer is before it's too late. *** Based on Prompt 72.

In a world full of monsters, sometimes you have no choice but to become one. The kingdom of Aspera is in disarray, and its queen, Julia Semel, fears that she may lose everything. She's losing popularity with the royal court, her cousin rightfully contests her claim to the throne, and invading armies threaten to ravage her homeland. The chaos is a prime opportunity for the enemies to strike. If she fails to unite her people, it's the end of Aspera as they know it. However, there seems to be nothing she can do, especially with Melinda Bellerose, the ruler of a world power, vying for the throne. There may be one solution, though. In a dark forest, under the light of the full moon, Julia makes a great and terrible decision. After all, there appears to be no other choice. Making a deal that could cost her everything, she turns her citizens into an army of unstoppable monsters with the promise of them being able to turn back after the conflict is over. Still, this does not remain secret. Hearing of this immediately, Melinda, along with all her other enemies, plots to counter her risky move, and the possibility of her defeat becomes more real by the minute. Will she win, or will she perish? And can she handle the price of her actions? *** Based on Prompt 96.

Cassandra Shaw, the heir to the renowned Shaw estate, has finally become eligible for marriage, allowing her to take over her father's clan. The monster-hunting clan is in distress due to his recent demise, and they need a brave and determined leader who'll take over. Unfortunately, she keeps refusing the advances of every single suitor, waiting for her true love. As time goes by, she starts believing she'll never find him, and eventually, she starts giving up, ready for any prospects that will enable her to preserve the future of her clan. Then, she remembers a prophecy in her dreams - a prophecy that might just help her solve everything - and two men, different as night and day, come to her like they were ordered. Hyacinth and Edmund Lawrence. Two brothers with a growing distance between them. A brooding rebel and a natural socialite. Both speak to a side of her she's connected to deeply. Both fascinate her from the day she meets them. Both seem destined to be the love of her life. Yet one will save her, and one will ruin her. The question remains: Which is which? *** 45. "Kings have honor, soldiers are brave, poets have heart, and all I have is rage!" (Sound by Naethan Apollo) 46. "We love broken, beautiful people. And it doesn't get more obviously broken and more classically beautiful than you." (A slightly modified quote from "Daisy Jones & The Six" by Taylor Jenkins Reid) 115. A prophecy claims you will love two people. One destined to save your life and the other destined to destroy it. The trouble is, you have no idea which is which.

Nineteen-year-old Lenora Cullen is following a strict plan. Attend classes during the day and work part-time to save enough for moving out of her uncle's house. Lately, she has begun night shifts at Ocean Brew, a secluded coastal coffee shop, for better pay. Customers come and go except for one. Brian Dormer, the quiet boy who sits near the ocean view window with his laptop and papers. It's hard not to notice a regular who orders the same thing and leaves at closing hours. These two interacted as a normal barista and customer until one fateful night. Lenora did not expect her life to take a drastic turn when she accidentally spilled coffee on him. That one unpredictable moment is about to change the lives of these two strangers, forming a life-changing friendship. - #ONC2026 PROMPT 19: When you accidentally spill coffee on someone, the moment that should've ruined your day becomes the beginning of a surprising and life-changing friendship.

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

Death in the Downside is a museum of forever. Avery discovers that it's a lavish place and learns to lounge inside it, until a heartbeat breaks the silence. It pulses with a melody she once loved, leading her toward a forbidden stairwell and the impossible feeling that someone is waiting for her. She learns that: not all of the dead stay buried and not all of the living let go. Main Prompt: #17. You fall in love with someone whose heartbeat matches a song you haven't heard since childhood. Second Prompt: #82. You are in love with someone living and someone long dead. Neither one is willing to let you go. Open Novella Contest 2026 #ONC2026 ⚠️TW: Themes of death, grief, loss