The Hush of the World (ONC 2024)

❀ ONC 2024 Shortlister ❀

In a world tinged with whispers of faeries of sort and forgotten bargains, Ayina, a gifted dreamseer, witnesses a chilling prophecy unfold. Every ten years, a girl is offered to the Azenar gate. The gate either chooses to take her in or sacrifice her for all to see. As she witnesses her mother get sicker, Ayina heads to the Choosing ceremony festivities to procure a healer, however her world is turned upside down when her younger sister, Rani is chosen tribute for the ceremony and thrust into the clutches of the dark court, a sacrifice to appease an ancient threat. Driven by unwavering love and fierce loyalty, Ayina embarks on a perilous quest into the forbidden dark realm that had now festered between the borders of two mighty lands, Benar and Elemore.

There, she encounters the mad wraith king of the dark court and Haider, a sarcastic Haraseen warrior ostracized for his mixed human and fae blood. As they navigate treacherous landscapes and formidable enemies, an unexpected bond blossoms between them. But a hidden truth awaits, one that forces them to confront a difficult choice: fulfill a prophecy that could save their kingdoms, or defy fate and fight for a love that transcends the boundaries of human and faerie.