Onc26 Stories

The Open Novella Contest is back for 2026! Join fellow storytellers and plant the seed of a tale that will blossom into a 20,000+ word novella within 12 weeks! Your epic quest begins February 1st, 2026, so mark your calendars with this date!

For Centuries Grim has been collecting souls. It's what he does, it's his purpose. One day, while collecting a soul in the park, he comes across a lost puppy. For reasons he can't explain, the urge to return the small dog to his owner is overwhelming. He soon finds the animal's owner, a woman in her mid-twenties named Maria. He is struck down by her beauty and realizes that he had once claimed the soul of someone she loved. He becomes even more conflicted when he realizes he has just one year to claim her soul.

She came to school to disappear. At nineteen, she's just another girl in oversized hoodies, keeping her head down and her secrets closer. No one here knows that her voice fills arenas. That her name trends worldwide. That under the stage lights, she becomes someone untouchable. Here, she just wants to be normal. He doesn't know why he keeps noticing her. There's something about the way she moves, like she's used to being watched, even when she pretends not to be. She's guarded. Careful. Almost afraid of being seen. He sees her anyway. But secrets have weight. Fame has shadows. And the closer she gets to normalcy, the harder it becomes to keep the two worlds from colliding. And if the truth comes out, they won't just lose their anonymity. They might lose the only place they've ever felt safe.

A solitary retreat. An endless night. A fear that refuses to stay buried. In a remote cabin, cut off from the world, isolation offers escape. But when the polar night descends, solitude twists into a waking nightmare. As darkness stretches across the sky without end, shadows begin to move in the deepest corners.

The dream always ended the same way: with the salt-spray of an ocean I'd never visited and the warmth of a hand I couldn't quite grasp. He never had a face-just a silhouette cut out of the moonlight-but his voice was a low rumble that vibrated in my chest. "Find me," he'd whisper. "Before the clocks stop." When I woke up, the silence of my apartment felt like a physical weight. I checked my pulse, my skin still buzzing from a touch that didn't exist. I told myself it was just stress. I told myself that "Thorne" was a name I'd probably seen on a billboard or a dusty law book. But then I saw him.

The town of Dogwood in Cross County, North Carolina is a picturesque seaside community with a sordid past swimming in piracy. Smoking Beard, aka Edward Hollingsworth, was the terror of the colonial coast in the 1600's, and one of Dogwood's founding members, before his descent into illegal privateering and eventual decline into madness. Four hundred years later, Bertha Rodriguez, romance novelist, resides in Dogwood along with her best friend Camilla Goldstein, Dogwood's chief of police. Every year the town capitalizes on its founders' past with a week long festival in June. The Founders' Festival brings much needed tourism and a break from the monotony of living in a small town. This year will be different, a huge storm hits the coast two weeks before the festival begins and someone uses it as an opportunity for murder. With their town cut off from the rest of civilization, it falls to Bertha and Camilla to solve the murder before the weather clears and the villain is able to make an escape. Written for the Open Novella Contest 2026 The prompt which inspired this story was number 22: Your book never found much success, but on a train ride you spot a stranger reading it with the biggest smile you've ever seen. No part of this story may be used to program AI. If you see this story anywhere besides Wattpad please make me aware. This is the only place I post stories. I don't have multiple accounts on this site, so this is the only profile this story should be posted on. Thank you, readers.

In a kingdom where no one has ever dreamed, Kenna starts dreaming one night. And they aren't regular dreams, no, they predict something. And it changes every time, but one thing remains the same. She can't ever get away from her father. Filled with fear of the dreams, and her father's reaction to them, she starts searching for the cursed witches, who need to be able to help her, if they exist.

When Nena finally receives the mark of her soulmate, it turns out to be a countdown. The faster she walks towards the source of the countdown, the faster the clock ticks back. Her best friend tries to get her out of this situation, but Nena knows she can't ignore the future that's coming for her. And then she stands right in front of a demon...

Aw feck. I died. And now I've transmigrated into some third rate web novel as a cannon-fodder's associate's background character. Still forced to work, now with my freedom in the hands of a tsundere young master Kun. This is the story of how I try to avoid overtime. ONC 2026 prompt #60 "You download a new app that promises to cure your boredom and it delivers far more than you ever expected."

**𝑨 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆. 𝑨𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒄𝒚. 𝑨 𝒘𝒂𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅𝒔. Between golden apples, fairy curses, and a haunted castle, a disguised princess begins her journey towards the crown.** "Beware of apples made of golden light. Their sweetness knows no end-only a price for every immortal heart beats to the rhythm of a trade. For the otherworld gives no miracles out of mercy- only promises sealed with blood." - Morgana LeFay - Since Avalon was ravaged by flames and consumed by fog, the boundaries to the otherworld have become thin: trees sing ominous songs, rivers change their course, children disappear unseen from their beds, and the Aos Sídhe prepare for battle. The balance of all Albion seems to have been thrown off since the death of the High King. Grief and fear are spreading; blood and ashes cover the fields in this world and the beyond. While the maelstrom of war threatens to engulf the kingdom, Arianna, daughter of Uther Pendragon, grows up hidden and protected by her foster father Sir Ector, unable to remember her heritage, her burden and her destiny. However, when an engagement is set to seal her future, she quickly steals away in the guise of the young squire Arthur and secretly joins the entourage of her foster brother Cei. What begins as a journey to freedom leads brother and sister far from home into the clutches and intrigues of the otherworld when, beyond a heavy fog, they encounter an enchanted castle whose walls conceal a tree bearing golden apples... It soon becomes clear whether Arianna has the courage to claim her legacy, for one thing is certain: only a king can unite the warring lords. The mortals as well as the immortals.

Two assassins. One mission. Both of them are on a different team. They hate each other. The goal: an ancieng stone. What happens when they both end up in a different world after they get it and now have to work together to find out who they are and why they are here, and how to get back home. Meanwhile, a girl is trying to prove to the world that she is as capable as her mother. What could go wrong when these three meet and go on an adventure together?

In the Republic of Amica, everyone is promised a soulmate. At eight-teen, your wrist reveals the name of the person you're destined to love. Ari Vale's mark reveals a countdown. And time is running out.

ONC'26 "One Spell, One Ghost, Two Handsome Boys, One Witch, and Popularity, what could go wrong... right?" When you become so popular in your Town, you never know that something lurking in the dark around Spring Festival could actually take you on a trip that soon you will regret. It's never easy to be such a popular girl in High School, but when love strikes between hate and popularity, there's no chance to be taken. Will you pay the price for your popularity through your worst enemy, or will you run from the curse and ghost that is chasing you? Tik... Tok... Tik... Tok... time is ticking!

The king has been betrayed and his throne taken from him, locked away withno hope... So he thought unknown to him, the spirit did send hope in form of Princess Emeralda... "what are you doing so far, deep in the forest" startled Emeralda looked around but saw no one.. "down here....beside you....come closer...don't be afraid" the voice kept speaking And so Emeralda walked gently towards the voice , this act took all of her courage,but she kept going, slowly till she got to the flower, so sure the voice came from there, she looked into the flower, to her amazement she saw the most handsome moon face she has ever seen In awe of his beauty and shock of the situation she asked "what are you doing in there!".....

**𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭. 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐝. ** Lyra is a werewolf. Well, sort of. Unfortunately, her wolf is not fully awakened, and all of its instincts and urges-hunting, fighting, biting- are instead building up inside her. The result? A tiny "aggression issue". At least, that's how her coaches, the referees, and pretty much every opposing team would describe it. On the ice and on her skates, Lyra is fast, tough, and mercilessly efficient. Off the ice, she reliably stumbles into situations that can only be described as emotional blow-ups. For example, there's Cassian, the hockey star of the Iron Hawks, her rival team. "Cas" is a picture-perfect werewolf, Lyra's personal nemesis, and the alpha male stereotype par excellence. As much as she would love to punch him in the face every now and then, he knows exactly how to push her buttons. And then there's the vampire - Valen. An elite skater who makes it his mission to help her with her aggression on the ice. What starts as a harmless deal quickly turns into a dangerous, emotional wildfire. Because Valen is far too charming, with a damn seductive smile. One that clearly promises things that are neither suitable for minors nor compliant with the rules. One explodes just as quickly as she does. The other still smiles even when everything is burning. Both of them drive her crazy. And both seem determined to take each other out of the game. Lyra wanted to play ice hockey professionally. She didn't want a snappy watchdog with a strong territorial instinct or a vampire as her unofficial mental coach. Above all, she didn't want to fall in love. Because one thing she knows for sure: feelings ruin any statistics. Too bad that life doesn't play by her rules.

With programming and witchcraft skills, two opposite girls attempt to solve their town's mystery. Olivia is a witch from a human family. Alazea is a human-by-choice from a witch bloodline. Five years ago, they basically switched lives. While they don't understand each other's choices, they have grown to like each other through tutoring lessons and class notes exchanges. When an artefact disappears from their town museum, they take the opportunity to prove to each other that their chosen path is the best. Az with her computer and Oli with her potions, the friendly competition makes them confront the idea they have of the other, in more than one way. All visual art in the story is mine. ONC Prompt - (11) The daughter of the most powerful witch is nothing like her mother.

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

"I like being out of the spotlight. It's the only place I can breathe." 💫💫💫 Hazel Brooks has always loved Poppy Sparks, one of the most popular singers. From the posters on her walls to the songs she hums without thinking, Poppy has been the soundtrack of Hazel's life. As a dedicated fan, Poppy was always meant to be a world-famous star, someone Hazel never imagined she would meet beyond a crowded concert stage. But at the start of sophomore year, a quiet transfer student stepped into her life. She's soft-spoken, careful, and oddly familiar. Everything fell into place when Hazel heard her soft, unguarded singing on the rooftop. The voice she's admired for years is sitting right beside her. 💫💫💫 PROMPT USED: Number 23

Zara is a hardworking baker and one contract away from success. David is the corporate king of Abuja real estate, a man who values order above all else. When a collision in a VIP elevator douses one of David's most vital land documents in hot espresso; their two worlds finally clash. David views Zara as a chaotic, sugary mess, Zara sees him as a cold, unyielding wall of stone. But when David is caught in an ugly custody battle with his volatile ex for their daughter, Annabella; David realizes he needs more than just steel to save his family. He needs the one woman who isn't afraid to get her hands messy. Now, Zara and David must decide if they can build a future on the ruins of their first meeting.