Skye is dead. How she perished is a mystery. All she knows is that she is trapped in After, a makeshift city of souls surrounded by infinite darkness and terrifying monsters that tear ghosts apart. But while all other ghosts accept the eternity of darkness ahead of them, Skye refuses to spend her afterlife in a world without light. She knows there must be some way to escape the monsters that keep them all imprisoned and return to the realm of the living, and she's going to find it...even if she has to face the prince of monsters, himself. Skye risks her existence and escapes the walled city of After in search of the truth. Venturing into the black reveals untold perils, but that's not all. The Dark...and the dark prince, are hiding a terrible secret... 🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻 WATTYS SHORTLIST | 2021 WATTYS BEST COVER SHORTLIST | 2021 AMBYS FAVORITE - HORROR | 2024 Cover art drawn by me.

[𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗣𝗟𝗘𝗧𝗘𝗗] ꒰ thriller | dual pov ꒱ Nirvi hires an assassin from the dark web to kill Nivedita. Apeksha, the assassin, asks for two weeks to intercept the victim. Thus begins Nivedita's life's countdown. (cover by @swara_raj )

Special Mage Eijiro Tokuda never wanted to be a mentor. In fact, he didn't even want to be alive. But when a desperate fourteen-year-old interrupts his most recent attempt to skip out on mortality, Eijiro ends up not only alive, but also a mentor. The worst of both worlds. Now stuffed into the role of teacher and father figure for a girl that adores him, Eijiro must help his new apprentice to master her abilities without succumbing to his own inner demons. Which won't be easy to do when the ghosts of his past threaten to steal his apprentice's love for him and his second chance at life. *New chapter drops every Wednesday!*

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐄𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞 - 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐡𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬... Cruel fate has unjustly branded Mortin Cornelius Echser many things: magus, monster, mad scientist, mass-murderer... but Lich Hunter is a new one. Forced against his will into a partnership with Craven, the Scarred Empire's most infamous hunter of ... well, pretty much everything with a price its head, Mortin returns to his home to face the demons of his past. Will he find redemption for the horrors he inadvertently released upon his hometown? Or will the child-stealing horrors that lurk below Morgenheim's graveyard claim him and his new mentor? ----------------------- You should enjoy this book if you liked... TV-Shows: The Witcher Books: The First Law Series, Warhammer Fantasy Spiele: Skyrim, Bloodborne, Dark Souls Comic: Berserk ----------------------- OpenNovellaContest 2021 Prompt No 64 - Long & Shortlister ----------------------- Image Credit: Microsoft Bing AI

Rukiya and Kadin get stuck in an elevator during a blizzard. Shenanigans ensue.

Legends say the Bride of Thorns was chosen to save the Thorn Realm. They say she came in white silk, bound to a king made of roots and blood, and lifted the curse with love. Kaelith has no silk. No love. And no interest in saving anyone. But when the cursed forest that borders her village pulls her across the threshold, Kaelith finds herself tangled in a decaying realm where thorns move like snakes, shadows whisper names, and old stories lie like traps. The realm thinks she's the next "bride." Too bad for the realm-Kaelith didn't come to marry anyone. She came to burn the lies to the ground. No romance. No prophecy. Just one girl, a cursed sigil, and a realm full of secrets that forgot one thing: Kaelith isn't here to be chosen. She's here to choose war.

An entry-level cartographer, Liadan is the least interesting, least important member of the Nautical Guild. Well, that's what she needs everyone to believe. When a warning at sea forces Liadan to flee the Island of Tirisea, she must choose if she returns to safety or trusts a stranger who promises her the impossible: a life where she is free from a duty that was inflicted on her at birth. No matter what, she must not let the mist find her, nor allow the key to fall into malevolent hands. One wrong move, and the world will crumble. Cover by @raizelrose3 ONC 2026 Prompts: 7. One morning, the ocean washes up a message. One you've been waiting your entire life to hear. 62. They say every door has its own key. Except for one, a key said to open them all. 79. A letter arrives addressed to you, written by someone who shouldn't exist. ONC 2026 Round 1 Winner Word Count: 26,177

- A slow-burn romantasy with fae courts, false identities, and dangerous choices - "I was taken from my world to replace a girl who was already dead. They dressed me in white, gave me her name, and promised me safety if I stayed silent. I was meant to be a bride. A symbol. A lie. But the prince I was promised to doesn't see me the way he should. And the man who brought me here is watching, waiting for me to break. I am not the girl they think I am. And if the truth comes out, it will destroy us all." #fantasy #fae #fairies #romance #slowburn #enemiestolovers #royalty #forcedmarriage #fakeidentity #darkfantasy #forbiddenlove Note: This story is taking part in the Open Novella Contest 2026 #ONC #OpenNovellaContest Court of the Fae Rankings: #1 ONC2026 out of 1.22K stories #10 aesthetic out of 32.4K stories #13 fairytale out of 19.1K stories #5 fairies out of 14.9K stories

Binti Nasra is a working-class sorcerer and occult detective. She's also cynical, foul-mouthed, and is known for doing whatever it takes to get the job done. When a new threat arrives in the city with the intention of taking her magic, she has to dig into her bag of tricks and escape this powerful foe or risk losing her life.

*I am currently focusing on my novella, "Heart of Fury"(which is a prequel to this story), but will be working on this one in the summer! Hold tight ❤️ In world the Ashen Creed claims was once dominated by the Eidralari, ancient dragons of fire and dominion, Arenna is raised to ensure such ruin never rises again. Arenna's life is forged through obedience, ritual, and blood-soaked vows. Curiosity is punished. Doubt is treason. Loyalty is rewarded with power. She is taught a single truth: unbound power is devastation. Creed magic is tethered to Ashhold, where Athirakor, Sovereign of the Ashen Creed, controls its distribution. She does not question. She does not disobey. She hunts what the Creed names as evil. Until an unsanctioned crosses her path. A stranger wreathed in fire and shadow. A man the Creed would condemn without hesitation. A living echo of a legacy that was intended to remain buried. His presence feels less like chance and more like something ancient reaching for her; unsettling, forbidden, and impossible to ignore. Where questioning doctrine is treason and truth is paid for in blood, her loyalty will demand his end. Fate, however, will demand her heart. Welcome to Skeldirith 🔥 ⚔️ 🐉 ************************* This story is intended for adult readers only (18+). Skeldirith: Inheritance Of Fire is a dark fantasy with intense romantic themes and includes violence, gore, explicit language, sexual content, trauma, and psychological tension. © 2026 M. J. Harris. All rights reserved. This is a work of original fiction. No part of this story may be copied, reproduced, reposted, or adapted in any form without the author's express permission.