**SELECTED FOR ONC 2026 ROUND 2** Imagine being a wizard who could cast spells without ever making a mistake? Dref signed a Stakeholder Agreement with the Fourth Pentagon of the Underworld to grant him this power and vanished from the magical town of Aranot shortly afterwards. Maybe he should have read that smallprint a bit more carefully? His twin sister Annod has been researching a way to find him for two years and has found a portal to take her to him in the basement of The Trotting Donkey tavern. Can she swallow her social awkwardness and convince the beguilding automaton, Gorgeous to lead her there? Stakeholder Agreement introduces readers to the world of Aranot, a town cut into a mountain with seven universities where wizards and scroll readers are trained. This comic fantasy universe pokes fun at our world through the strange contents of the mind of @edmundkeanlightning CONTENT WARNINGS Mild alcohol consumption Occult themes Misfiring magic

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 through wit, longing, and the complicated reality of choosing love when friendship feels safer. Updates ongoing as part of the #ONC2026 contest. Prompt #24: Staying as friends is meant to be safe, but that doesn't mean it's the path you're meant to take.

Whatever screwed-up plan of the Universe is this? Jas was hit by a car and most DEFENITELY died. However, somehow, she cannot quite manage to stay dead. Unfortunately, staying alive for long doesn't seem to be in the cards for Jas either. If there is one thing to be sure about this endless, cursed loop she's in, it's this: Karma truly is a b**tch.

Charlie never meant to fall in love. He just did what he always does - listened, remembered, stayed. Mary Jane never believed in love the way people talk about it. Too loud. Too fragile. Too demanding. She preferred things unnamed. Unclaimed. Safe. What begins quietly in a library grows into shared walks, inside jokes, borrowed jackets, and silences that feel like home. To the outside world, they look effortless. To each other, they feel real. And for a while, that feels like enough. But love isn't just about care or intensity. It's about compatibility. About being able to speak without fear. About not shrinking to stay. As feelings deepen, the cracks don't arrive as explosions - they arrive as pauses. Unanswered questions. Apologies said too often. Effort mistaken for closeness. Love slowly turning into something that asks more than it gives. This is not a story about betrayal. No one cheats. No one is cruel. No one is the villain. This is a story about two people who loved each other deeply... just not in the same way. A quiet, honest coming-of-age novel about misfit love, emotional timing, and the kind of heartbreak that doesn't destroy you - it teaches you.

There's an idiom that goes: wear your heart on your sleeve. In the 14th century, knights would dedicate a performance to their lady by tying her colors around their arm. I think about that a lot. About finding your fallen knight on the ground, speared but still wearing your colors. To carry your heart into battle. To know you could die. To do it anyway. Just so she'll know. *** My entry for the Open Novella Contest 2026. Prompt: "Staying as friends feels safe, but it doesn't mean it's the path you're meant to take."