METALS AND MORTALS || ONC 2025

In a world where magic is attributed based on temperament and has become the running stigma to appropriate usefulness and importance, heir to the throne of Velicia, Princess Zarael Lirien, has no attribute assigned. Upon unearthing her skill for refining metallurgy, she comes to find purpose in something in no way affiliated with magic. After banding together with four other heroes in their adolescence past, she ends up inadvertently saving the world and the prosperous kingdom of Velicia.

A decade later and a new menace is uprising with Velicia's past heroes being invited to combat the invasion. Zephyr Harcourt, an undying with a strong regenerative ability, finds himself at the forefront of the battle against evil. Joined by Eryndor Cavendish, a perfectionist with a talent for temporal magic, Kaelin Montague, a charming illusionist with a penchant for weaving nothings into reality, and Octavia Caldecott, a charismatic socialite known for her adept camouflage and with a hidden talent for social manipulation, the group embarks on a perilous quest to save the world from destruction.

Upon discovering the mastermind manipulating the metal warriors from the shadows, the heroes discover that their unique abilities are not just random gifts, but are in fact connected to a long-forgotten prophecy that speaks of restoration to the Elemental Balance, with the powerless Zarael at the center and wanting to defy logic and prophecy by standing on the side of mayhem.

As the stakes grow bigger, they begin to realize that their greatest challenge may not be the battle of good against evil, but rather the problem having been right in their midst, camouflaging. Can they overcome their conflicts and work together to save the world from the prophecy masquerading as for the betterment of Velicia, or will they give in to the seeds of hate having long been planted been planted by the upper gods?

WRITTEN FOR THE OPEN NOVELLA CONTEST 2025
PROMPTS USED: 3, 24 AND 48