mirage | an unrealistic hope or wish that cannot be achieved. At twenty-nine, Effie has made peace with being the one person in town whose soulmate mark had never appeared. That is until she wakes up with a name wrapped around her throat, attached to a countdown she doesn't understand. She has a blind date to endure so she ignores it. Only the man sitting across the table from her is the one who's been haunting her nightmares for the past month. He's not from her small town. He's not human either. The mark around her neck isn't some promise of love. It's his deadline. And he's come to make sure she doesn't survive him. ✓ Main Prompt: 53. Your 53. soulmate mark appears at last, but instead of a curse it's a countdown.

11. The daughter of the most powerful witch is nothing like her mother. Young King Feren Faetcastel of Kypelaize is in quite the pickle. His ancestor's philandering and dynastic views left him without a prestigious enough yet unrelated potential bride to silence his critics-or the demons in his own mind. The option his inner council gave him was to marry the bug girl. How could he learn to love her more than those who haunt him? Meliza Atwater held a Baronet's title by her own might as a mage, but it was both a more difficult set of skills to wield than her deceased mother's and unproven. To make matters worse, she didn't hold much respect for those who inherited titles, starting with her own missing older half-brother. This contemporary of hers has the power to order their marriage without the room to object, yet still give her the freedom to rebel against anything but himself. Which becomes necessary with locusts, true rebellions, dark rivals, and continental fears of a witchblood on any throne. Would it be too much for her to ask herself if she could come to like him, in due time?

The satyrs have all but lost, and in a desperate attempt to save her kingdom, the chief of satyrs turns to the Piccolo of Destruction, one of three piccolos that have absolute power over the land. Based on prompt #96: A ruler on the brink of losing their kingdom makes a devastating choice. To save their homeland, they transform their own people into monsters, forging an unstoppable army. Now, with the power to reclaim what was lost and punish all who betrayed them, they must face the cost of the sacrifice they made.

There's murder on the streets of Cresenth. Darcy is planning to add to it before skipping town. Still on the hunt for The Radiant Hand, she and Kasi have their first real clue within reach. Everything goes wrong when Darcy's biggest lead is killed by Farren and Cahir, a pair of assassins on their own not so divine mission. Enemies inevitably become unlikely allies when a kidnapping grinds everyone's plans to a stop. Without the cooperation of both sides, The Radiant Hand's discord will run unchecked across the continent.

grey area | a situation that is not clear or where the rules are not known. "Family is built in the spaces between grief, loyalty and the grey areas of the heart." ✓ When Evander's mother dies, his search to honor her wish to recognize his living kin brings him under the radar of his three billionaire half-brothers. They're only strangers with his father's blood. The only constant is Ilvie, his best friend and the only person who makes him feel less invisible. As Evander steps into a world following the aftermath of a wish and DNA tests, he soon realizes his biggest problem isn't where he belongs, but if he can let others in without losing himself. ✓ Main Prompt: 24. Staying as friends feels safe, but that doesn't mean that's the part you're meant to take.

In a world where humans reproduce by cloning, one girl must protect her secret -- that she's the last naturally born human being. Felicity Ponce grew up thinking that she was a clone just like everyone else. However, after a random genetic code test was conducted, she begins to realize that nothing is what it seems and her world changes drastically. Now tasked with keeping this secret, she must find a way to avoid getting caught by government officials, find reliable allies, and understand what it means to be a unique individual. But, hey, what else could go wrong?

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.

TORIN Orphaned as a child, I've relentlessly carved out a name for myself in the Royal Naval Academy. Now I serve as the youngest lieutenant aboard the HMS Dartmouth. Then I received the bittersweet news that I have an uncle who is still alive...and he's sentenced to hang for piracy. I, Lieutenant Torin Damaris of the Royal Navy, is related by blood to a pirate. It's disgraceful beyond words. To make matters worse, my uncle left me a treasure map, of all things. And X marks the spot where a wealth of riches have been hidden, on Dead Man's Isle. I'm convinced it's nothing but pirate nonsense, tall tales brought on by rum. But the promise of so much gold is impossible to resist. It haunts me. And I'm hungry for it. As I set sail, guided by the map, there's a nagging worry in the back of my mind. This doesn't make me a pirate...does it? - - - BRYNN That map belongs to me and I want it back. I won't let some stuck-up, spoiled sailor boy claim it for himself. There's more than gold hidden on that map. The story goes that Poseidon himself buried a vial of his tears on the island and anyone who places a drop of that precious salty water on his tongue will rule the tides. But Dead Man's Isle earned its name for a reason. It's treacherous sailing in the rough shallows. Many ships have been gutted on the jagged rocks, or smashed to pieces by the powerful waves. And if that wasn't enough to deter any man of sound mind, legends abound of monsters that roam the island. With a ravenous appetite for human flesh. Can Torin and I work together to claim the treasure and split it amongst ourselves? Or will we become one more set of bleached bones on the shores of Dead Man's Isle? - - - #ONC2026 Prompt 34: You will have to sail the seven seas to find the lost treasure. But treasure means different things to different people, what treasure will you find at the world's edge?

When the heart of Valen'har began to rot, Bille - the Primordial Tree who sustains the Aether and keeps the veils of the world intact - bore within her trunk an artifact of Chaos, driven deep into her wood. The corruption did not kill her. It rendered her magic unstable. Unpredictable. To prevent the kingdom's immediate collapse, black magnolias were cultivated as anchors, sustaining the only barrier that separates the Vaelari from the mortal world. But the flowers do not heal or restore the tree, they merely delay the inevitable.

Open Novella Contest 2026 entry Main Prompt: 33) It doesn't take long before your life spins out of control. One moment you're a secret assassin, and the next you've been somehow hired as a nanny and you're not entirely sure how it happened. Side Prompt: 81) Unalluring and bumbling, your character is the world's worst (assassin) vampire ──── Nekane has plenty of regrets in life, but nothing will compare to when she accidentally assassinated the wrong person. Anyone could have made the same mistake, but no... they terminated her because, in their words, she was "the worst assassin ever". This leaves Nekane scouring the job market to avoid her mother's lectures. Somehow, she finds a listing. From a wealthy vampire couple needing a new nanny for their dhampir infant (whatever the hell that is). After all, it's just watching a baby... right? Wrong. Now Nekane has a missing baby, and is left with two choices: admit she lost the dhampir baby or leave. Scratch that; her only option is to find the baby if she wants to avoid the wrath of a vampire couple and her parents putting her out on the streets. ──── Cover by @ThePiratesPen