Onc2021 Stories

[ONC 2021 Grand Winner] After the events of Ragnarök, the God Vidar has settled in the nice and quiet city of Antwerp where he keeps an eye on the local paranormal community. Nearly a millennium later, Vidar is a grumbling bookstore owner by day and a lazy paranormal detective by night (albeit a slightly furry one during a full moon). The morning after a particularly rough transition, the young teenage girl who normally wastes her days on the skatepark across the street enters his shop, fervently looking for a book on the legend of Brabo and Antigonus. As she struggles to pay, she reveals that the bronze giant has disappeared from the statue on the town square. At the foot of the fountain now lies a body that has been dead for three hundred years. Prompts chosen: (25) The war has ended, and thus the immortals return to their natural state: forgotten, hiding in the shadows until humankind is in need of them once more. They did not expect to be stumbled upon by a young farm apprentice. (*) (60) Rumours of a mysterious dark force under the earth have spread around the city. You are sent to investigate. (*) To fit the plot I have in mind, the young farm apprentice will become a bookstore "apprentice"

It hadn't occurred to Esme that she should be suspicious of her parents, they were just ordinary people after all. But when an unknown number won't stop texting her, the questions start coming. Was the accident really the cause of her amnesia? Why did her parents speak five languages suddenly? How was it that Esme could suddenly assemble and disassemble guns? Who exactly was Agent 23? Maybe one of these days she could get back to her sappy daydreams of her incredible coworker. That itself seemed like a dream.

Amelia Holte banishes ghosts for a living... and she's good at it. But when she's hired to investigate a haunting at an orphanage, she begins to realize that some ghosts are not so easily cast aside. The dead always return to us, one way or another. With a powerful ghostly threat growing stronger, the only way to protect the children may be for Amelia to relive her own childhood memories and come face to face with the thing that haunts her the most.

| Honorable Mention ONC 2021 | *** Rebecca Smythe has led a perfectly unremarkable life. Unremarkable, that is, until she is accused of witchcraft and whisked away into a world of magic, secrets, and housework. When these secrets begin to take on a life of their own, however, Rebecca is forced to choose between her own survival and the fate of all witch-kind.

Vita hates being a demigoddess. Especially now that Barnabas, the love of her life, is locked up in the Underworld, while she is stuck in an endless cycle of resurrections and new lives. Worst of all, with every resurrection Vita loses a piece of her past, as her memories slowly fade. To break this never-ending cycle, she decides to steal her own records from the Underworld. After all, without records they won't know to send her back to Earth, so she can stay and search for Barnabas. But to get those records, Vita will have to get past Hades, his three-headed watchdog Cerberus and all the guards of Tartarus. Credits to @roguehopes for the amazing cover!!

Prince Leif could not have imagined that the Princess of Aradanas would be kidnapped at her own ball, but that's exactly what happened. Without question of his own safety, Leif and three other prospective suitors, dive blindly into a rescue mission. The way is not easy by any means, and wrought with battles- fought with brawn against soldiers, and with brain against the magical creatures of the wilds between the kingdoms. Their fears are tested, and bonds are formed; something Leif did not expect when he dove into the tunnels under the palace in a race to save the princess and hopefully prevent a war. But what happens when the princess does not need saving after all, and the enemy they chase is not the right one? When secrets are revealed, can Leif trust that the men he's bonded with are who they say they are? -.-.-.- ONC 2021 Prompts #87 and #67 -.-.-.- Highest rank #23 in Masquerade

A devastating fire sends seventeen-year-old Harrison Fredrick across the Atlantic Ocean to the English countryside to live with the grandmother he never knew. As if coming to terms with his newly discovered title and learning how to fit in with the nobility wasn't enough, he soon learns he's engaged--also without his knowledge--to a woman who's not the servant he's falling in love with. Then when his most guarded and dangerous secret comes to light, everything changes--and it could lead to either his salvation or his destruction. ONC 2021 - Prompt #74

[Entry for the 2021 Open Novella Contest with prompts 1 and 20!] "Truth is, there are no innocent people in this world. Never has been, never will be." Jude was born on the day when Alucinatio, the Star of Blood, lit up the night sky. Following the prophecy of the star, he was raised to become the great saviour of the sorcerer kingdom Mendax. And Jude became exactly that, honing his magical powers and challenging the reign of the Empire of Dorobo like a mere walk in the park. Despite having this popularity and praise, though, the empty Jude still desires something more than fighting the same enemies and saving the same people every damned time. And then everything changes after meeting Prema, a young lady of the Hantri tribe. Upon getting to know her, Jude becomes conflicted; Prema is nothing like the savages in the stories he's been told. In fact, Jude starts losing the ability to hold on to his beliefs. Should he trust his friends and family? Should he listen to his enemies? Through magical scuffles and internal struggles, Jude strives to figure out who he's truly meant to be, who the "good guys" of this world are. With rising tension between civilizations, however, such a task is way harder than it sounds. But then he learns the truth. The truth about the kingdom, the empire, and the tribe. The truth about magic in this nation. The truth about people.

A naive young princess gets banished to a tower and is inadvertently trapped with a wizard. Now, she must navigate through a world full of magic while the fury of the king looms over her. ⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅ Princess Pranee has a love for magic but it seems like the world didn't want her to do anything with it. When she gets locked away in a tower that was supposed to isolate her from the rest of the world, she unexpectedly meets an irritated wizard who claims that the tower belongs to them. She finds herself wanting to learn more about the magic world and the genderless wizard, Shashi but she can't help but feel anxious that more misfortune will strike her at any moment. Open Novella Contest 2021 entry Credit to Rayne for the cover! ONC 2021 Longlister Featured on: Wattpad Community Curator: @KateLorraine @WattpadAsianFantasy "Celebrating Asian & Pacific Islander Voices (AAPIHM)" "Featured Stories" "The Wondering Immortal" @Fantasy "Romantasy" "Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebration" "Diverselit Fantasy" @WattpadMulticultural "Asian Legends" @retold "Fractured Fairytales" "Celebrating Asian & Pacific Islander Voices (AAPIHM)" @anime "Light Novels" "Celebrating Asian & Pacific Islander Heritage Month" @beauty "Asian American & Pacific Highlander Heritage Month - beauty" @AmbassadorsAR "Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM)"

When a simple job goes horribly awry, ghosthunter Anya must prove she has what it takes to do spirit work or risk losing her job, her brother, and a second chance with the One Who Got Away. *** Second-rate ghosthunter Anya Iteri comes from a family of metalweavers -- powerful mages who can forge iron, shape steel, and even bend blood. Down on her luck and struggling for work, Anya bribes her little brother, a city guide, to let her drum up business on one of his tours. The plan is simple. Summon a hibernating ghost to give the tour a good show, return it to its slumber, and collect a hefty tip. But the moment the tour begins, Anya encounters a ghost of a different kind: Eleira Soti, talented hunter and former love of her life, newly returned to the city after years away. El's familiar face leaves Anya fighting distraction and attraction alike on her way into the city's most haunted grounds. The night goes from bad to worse when the wrong ghost gets summoned and fingers are pointed Anya's way. A malignant spirit emerges from the veil, bent on destroying the tour and everyone on it. Racing against time, Anya must team up with El to trap the ghost, save her brother, and prove, once and for all, that her abilities aren't as second-rate as others think. *** Silverweaver is now available across all major platforms. Once titled just "Weaver," it won an honorable mention in the 2021 Open Novella Contest.

It was supposed to be simple prank, one that would not lead to any problems in the life of Princess Nhyira of Diamantí. What happens when an unexpected incident occurs at her coming of age ball? Will Princess Nhyira find a way to save the day or would she get in trouble? Read to find out. Read on to find out. PS: The name is pronounced [ in- shi- ra]

Hunter McFarland was meant to be the protagonist. Ryan Sandhamn was meant to be the awkward best friend. Too bad it was Ryan who face-planted into the remote archipelago's greatest beach. TW: Potentially triggering for people with water-related PTSD or phobias.

Getting married is not on Imogen Kaiser White's bucket list. She'd be more likely to want to jump off a cliff then to ever get married. So, when her parents tell her must get married she does what any rational teenager would do, she runs away and joins the outlaw academy, a school known for producing some of the best of the worst villains, including her mother's enemy the Evil Queen. It starts out as all fun and games but when she must decide if she wants to lead on with this new life or go back to being a high and mighty princess she's stuck in the crossroads. What will she choose? And will the villains be okay knowing a princess is walking amongst them or will she be kicked out? Prompt 84: This academy isn't a typical boarding school. No, it's where kids train to become villains - if they pass the entrance test, that is. Nobody at the academy knows you're descended from heroes, and that's the way you'd like it to stay. Previously Outlaws academy

I love the Open Novella Contest for finding new stories by authors I've never met before and I'd love to share some authors with you that maybe you have never found before. This book will be slowly filled with authors and books of all genres and styles and places in the writing journey. I do believe every book in here has something special to be shared, and I hope the variety allows you to find some things you like. My intention is to keep this book updated with books currently updating, whether they remain in the contest or not, because I think the ultimate goal of having a complete story at the end is the most important part, regardless of the success in the judging rounds.

A mysterious statue of an eye appears in the sleepy town of Kessington, New York. It changes locations every night, with no way to trace how or why it moves. On the eighth day of its arrival, Andrea Miller wakes up to find it right on her front porch; the closet it's gotten to anyone yet. ... On the outside of the town, Roy Hockins impatiently waits for information from their scout sent into Kessington. As a Coven Hunter, Roy knows that the All Seers have sunk their claws deep into the town, a fog permeating through like wispy tendrils. The fog clouds anyone's mind who enters, causing them to forget why they entered in the first place. Roy must find a way to prevent those controlling the All Seeing Eye from striking with their next attack, especially as it would be the one hundred and eleventh victim. Once the All Seers have claimed that one hundred and eleventh soul...well, it would unleash a dark evil that not even the Coven Hunters could handle. ******************* Open Novella Contest (ONC) submission for 2021!

Quiet girl Gwen just moved to a new town and a new school. She just wants to keep her head down and not make waves. Just fit in, as her mom says. But when mysterious phenomena begin to happen all around her, she seeks the help of the weirdest girl in her class--Hazel the Witch--to find out what's going on and how to make it stop. As spiders rain from the sky, her homework spontaneously combusts, and at least one cat starts to talk, Gwen learns that maybe even she has a little bit of "witch" inside her.

Warning: this book contains sensitive topics such as self-harm/suicide, depression and other mental health issues. Prompt #33 - ONC - "When a loved one dies, the person is lost. Until they find a jar of 'fortune notes' which leads them to read each one every day. How does the journey start and end?" (Additional prompt #29: "I'm in the mood to dissolve in the sky." - Virginia Woolf.) The protagonist comes home after a few years in college and declares that she'd quit school. She begins her new life as a wanderer, letting the fortune slips in a red bag take her to where she wants to be.

Greedy for more power, Clan chief Paden MacFarlane has his eyes set on a flourishing and prosperous Clan: the Clan Baird that lies on the border separating the Lowlands and Highlands. His plan was going well until an unexpected betrayal occurred. Blackmailed into following Chief Paden in his blinded victory, Chief MacMillan saves Arabella Baird and brings her into his home. Raising her as his very own, MacMillian keeps the murder of her family a secret. But secrets were never meant to be hidden. With determination and will, Arabella sets out on her revenge to regain her clan but finding love, friendship, and purpose along the way.

Entry for the Open Novella Contest 2021 All love stories come to an end and so must Logan and Cassie's. However, as they plan to take the big and hard final step towards annulling their sixteen-year-long marriage, life gets in the way to make things even harder and takes them on a strange and unexpected adventure. "The greatest thing about being kidnapped with your estranged lover is that you're forced to face all the issues you've tried the hardest to run from." Prompt 71 "This is our last dance, my dear," They say, to which you reply, "Then make it the best dance, my love." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Completed; 2/05/21 Word count; 30,000