Onc2023 Stories

Zoé is a young immortal. She is only 186 years old. Currently, she works in an incredible library of the occult, located in Budapest and curated by a very old immortal called Ikshan. Unfortunately, one day she stumbles upon a terrifying monster in a hallway of this very library. That was definitely not in the job description. This story is a spin-off of my series For Centuries but it can be read as a standalone. Genre: Paranormal/ Comedy Award: First Place Prime Awards 2023 (Category: paranormal)

As a spare heir and hero of the last war, Wystan would like nothing more than to enjoy retirement while teaching recruits and drinking up his inheritance. After stepping on the wrong toes, he is reinstated early and finds himself on a quest to slay a dragon in the Southern Lands of the Empire. Unwanted and feared, the merry band of the Empire's mercenaries joins him on the journey, for they have been ordered to die with him in not so many words. While the rumors consist of a tale of a feral, man-eating dragon, a captured princess, and a dreary, impenetrable fortress of a tower where both dwell, Wystan learns that stories are just that: stories. The tower is not impenetrable nor dreary. On the contrary, it's quite homey with warm rugs, shiny chandeliers, and the fire roaring in every heart. The dragon ignores humans like a person would an ant. And the princess... Is in fact a prince. The runaway prince of the Zmaya Kingdom enjoys making Wystan's days harder. Smooth-tongued and shrewd, Alexei offers their party a place to stay after hearing about their grim fate. Uncovered coincidences and secrets imply a connection between him and the dragon. If Wystan returns home empty-handed, the Emperor would hang him. But it's not just his life at stake, the mercenaries become comrades in arms. Wystan is forced to entertain Alexei's whims while unraveling the truth behind the man's meddling, the dragon's presence, and the Empire's betrayal.

There's an urban legend that's been circulating for years about a driver that doesn't take you where you want to go, but where you need to be. One morning before daylight, Cenicienta stepped into his cab! Once inside the taxi, she skims the newspaper and reads about the increased bounty on the bandit plaguing the neighborhood. Wishing to escape her slavish life, the burglar's bounty seems appealing, and she becomes interested in catching him. The cabbie stops in a lonely alley, insisting it's where she is destined to be. She hesitantly disembarks, intending to catch another cab further up the road, which disappears as soon as the cabbie speeds off. Thereupon, Cenicienta stumbles upon a drawing of her six-year-old self with a note hinting at a secret treasure and also chances upon the handsome Robert Warren, who is quite taken with her. Cenicienta begins her search for the bandit at the Magnificent Seven Balls, the place of his intended thievery. At the balls, she meets Robert Warren, whose stepfather, Sir. Henry Moore tries to steer him into the arms of the young Elle Anderson, his deceased best friend's daughter. Robert meanwhile gets caught up in Cenicienta's life. The two grow closer and sparks fly. Cenicienta, in her pursuit to solve the mystery of the midnight bandit plaguing her town's elites, discovers a most sinister plot that wrought a terrible wrong upon someone very dear to her, and which threatens her relationship with Robert. Will she be able to help right the terrible misdeed and save her relationship with Robert, thereby changing her entire life?

| ᴏɴᴄ 2023 ꜱʜᴏʀᴛʟɪꜱᴛᴇʀ | x7 ꜰᴇᴀᴛᴜʀᴇᴅ | ❝ ᴡᴇʟʟ, ɪ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴʟʏ ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ ᴍᴀʀᴠᴇʟʟᴏᴜꜱ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ʀᴜɪɴɪɴɢ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏᴛʜɪɴɢ.❞ Goddess-blessed Zofia has the power to heal even the gravest of wounds running through her veins, the urge to use it when she sees even the smallest of bruises stronger than the intensity of a wildfire. When a Dragon-born soldier - an enemy of the Kingdom of Aerla - falls from the sky with his wings torn to ribbons, this impulse is no different. Dragon-born Larc has been banished from the Nusal Empire as the war between the humans and the dragons begins to grow. With the intention to seek revenge on his people for exiling him, he asks the help of the humans to destroy the powerful artefact his queen has been searching for. Is it the right decision for Zofia to trust the enemy that grips the Kingdom of Aerla in the throes of war? Or should she have never healed him when he fell from the sky? BOOK ONE - COMPLETE COVER AND END BANNER BY @ryevain 2023 © -DeeIsDead-

"You were at the wrong place, at the wrong time, and now you are running for your life." Christabelle Lewis, a young, independent journalist with a dark past, has... a special relationship with the devil, which, naturally, means she'll do anything for him. She takes a trip from New York to Lostville, Netherlands to meet Kelvin Hexxus-her mysterious online boyfriend, only to find out that he is an immortal being whom connected to her. The situation left Christabelle with two choices; to spend six months in LostVille- a haunted town where strangers can't leave or Kelvin takes her life. What happens when Christabelle becomes pregnant with the devil... Would she birth it? Would Kelvin ever let her find peace? This story story is written for the Open Novella Contest 2023 (Prompt 13). Copyright©2023 Madinah_Writes

[Bauhinia Legacy Series, Book 4.0] 🏅HONORABLE MENTION IN ONC 2023🏅 Written for the 2023 Open Novella Contest: It's easy to get away with crime in a packed, unruly and newly built city--Cantonesia: The Jewel of the Orient. That's what Amelia Yeung's family has been doing for decades. She's part of Cantonesia's most notorious and elusive mafia family, the Bauhinias. On Amelia's next mission, which involves the Governor of Cantonesia and his family, she makes a dangerous mistake that takes away her freedom. Thus, she is forced to make a deal with two formidable forces. But scandals and secrets await her wherever she goes, and Amelia unearths one that could damage the Governor's reputation. She begins to question the moral integrity of those around her as the situation unfolds. To make matters worse, government agents are on Amelia's trail. She knows if she's captured, it could be the end of the Bauhinias. Now Amelia has to evade the law and help them at the same time. Will Amelia be able to solve her Cantonesia caper? Or will the government get to her first? ****** ONC Prompts used: #15, 33, 75 ****** Accolades: 🥇1st: Best Writing in the Phoenix Mini Awards 🥇1st: Best Epilogue in the Starlight Mini Awards 🥇1st: Action/Adventure in the Serenity Book Awards 🥈2nd: Action/Adventure Genre in The Katana Awards 🥈2nd: Action/Adventure Genre in The Fluorescence Awards 🥈2nd: Best Antagonist in The Philosopher Awards 🥈2nd: Best Antagonist in The Ambrosia Awards 🥈2nd: Best Prologue in the Starlight Mini Awards 🥈2nd: Best Bright Cover in the Best Book Cover Awards 🥉3rd: Hidden Gems Category in The Phoenix Awards 🥉3rd: Action/Science Fiction in The Philosopher Awards 🏅Honorable Mention: Best Protagonist in The Ambrosia Awards 🏅4th in the Wonder Awards: Best Worldbuilding 🏅ONC Round 1 & 2 Qualifier 🏅ONC Longlister & Shortlister 🏅FEATURED on the ONC Ambassador's Pick Reading List 🏅FEATURED on APIFantasy ****** Cover by

**In the Jim Crow South, two star-crossed lovers will change the trajectory of their nation's history forever.** Harriet is clearing out her grandmother's attic when she uncovers the truth: a love story marked by scandal, desperation, and a nation torn between a troubled past and a hopeful future. Harriet learns that at the heart of a great American victory is her family. Marked by legacy, this whirlwind romance proves that love isn't always black and white - and that changing the world comes at a cost. - ** ONC 2023, PROMPT #7

In a world hit by a strange war against beings that were not supposed to exist in a human world. Every human was forced to move underground. Aria Williams had been trapped in her underground world since the day she was born, she had always relied on government broadcasts to understand the world outside. But when a news reporter deviates from their script and reveals the truth about the war, chaos ensues and the signal is abruptly cut. As Aria struggles to make sense of the confusing and contradictory messages, she began to question everything she thought she knew about the world and her existence. With limited resources and hardly a way out of her world, she must decide whether to stay in the safety of her world or take a risk and venture into the unknown... ***** Prompt 67 ONC2023; The war had been going on for over 100 years now. Not that you'd ever seen it, living in a bunker your entire life. But one day, a news reported suddenly says, "I can't do it anymore. Everything is fine! They are lying! Th-" and the signal cuts out.

Jade Snow by day, Sapphire Bullseye by night. Sandshore. A place of beauty and disaster. She is one of the top assassins in the underworld. Sent out to kill and steal. Nothing is too challenging for this woman but what happens when she is sent on a mission to Frostbourne to assassinate the Prince. Secrets will be revealed. Fights will break out and those they loved will die in the crossfire. Cover by @-DeeIsDead--

Just a collection of stats I've gathered while adding the round 1 qualifiers to prompt groups.

Daiki has secrets. He hides them with Rumors. Rumors Bring People. People Bring More Rumors. More Rumors Bring a certain group of people. Which happens to Bring Quinn. Quinn Has secrets. She hides them with distractions. Who will arise Triumphant?

Asa is an unwilling sensitive with a fear of mirrors and anything reflective. Amy is an unwitting empath. Together they are responsible for murder. THE SHIPPY SIBLINGS are rarely alone, despite living as secluded orphans on the remains of their family's generational farm. Tucked between the scrub-spattered brown hills of Salinas Valley, the decayed farmhouse is home to more than just the Shippy's family secrets. Ghosts vie for a foothold in this world, focusing most of their attention on poor Asa, whose lifelong Shadowman attachment has made it impossible for him to live normally. Amy, on the other hand, doesn't seem as heartily affected. Her constant struggle to erase the memory of their abusive, dead mother preoccupies most of her personality. But when a serial killer appears to be targeting them specifically, the siblings are forced to confront a haunting so personal, so vengeful, that it can only be family. Warning: occasional language/thematic elements

After mutinies led to the loss of large sections of the generation ship Tranquility, the desperate crew begins thawing open cryo beds to bolster the ranks of Bridge Security. Among them is Carlos, who wakes aboard the ship a century into its journey to settle a distant habitable planet. With a legendary reputation from his time fighting in the Florida wastes, Carlos is entrusted with the survival of the ship and crew. Because if he can't reunite the Tranquility's warring factions, they'll be doomed to wander through space forever...

[Entry for the Open Novella Contest 2023] Fate is a twisted thing, or the evil sorcerer had a hand in her demise. Roysia Ysembert made a deal to cure her mother, but with every gift comes a price. A matrimonial union is to take place between enemies. One who rejoices in the taste of blood. Another who hopes to spill it.

Aerin Kingsley had thought she had seen the last of Westin O'Bryan after graduating high school and moving on from their petty rivalry to bigger and better things. And after four long years of countless all-nighters, developing a serious coffee addiction, and focusing on nothing but getting perfect grades, she has finally landed herself in New York City at her dream internship. But little did she know what was waiting for her on her first day. Westin O'Bryan had put Aerin Kingsley and his hometown in his past after high school and moving on to play college football. But with a twist of fate, and a little help from his charming personality, Westin finds himself doing a complete 180 and making a move to New York for an internship and hopefully some excitement in the big city. Not knowing the kind of excitement he would be getting was more than he bargained for.

Winter Sutton, a trained assassin, is sent to kill a mysterious someone who ends up enabling a whirlwind search for answers about their past. All their life, they have been kept in the dark about much of their past. They've asked questions, but over the years, their silence has proven to have better outcomes. One night, when they're instructed to take down a secretive spy, they gain answers to a couple of their many questions concerning where they came from, but this only makes old feelings resurface. For twenty five years, Winter worked to ignore the gut feeling that something wasn't right. Plus, all they've ever wanted is nearly everything this spy has. Open Novella Contest 2023 Entry. Prompt 33: They had their arrow aimed at their target's back, a perfect shot despite the crowded ballroom. Taking a deep, steadying breath, they pulled the bowstring taut and prepared to let the arrow fly. But then their target turned and looked directly at them, finding them in the eaves as if they'd known they were there all along. The target winked. With a bit of prompt 69: "I had a marvelous time ruining everything" -Taylor Swift.

When the two best thieves - self-proclaimed - in the entire continent decide to take on the same target at the same time, unaware of the other's involvement, it can't go as planned. Two massive egos, an even more massive mission on a flying city in the clouds and as if things weren't complicated enough, a group of cyborg cultists also enter the tense chemistry between the two rivals. A fast-paced heist adventure with some kind of romance, humor and lots of flying stuff... ---------- My contribution for the Open Novella Contest 2023

The wrong place, at the wrong time, had Tyler running for his life. On his way to a job interview, Tyler became a witness to a murder that was done by one of the most notorious hitmen in the country. After being saved by that same hitman, Tyler went from a civilian looking for a job to an informant working for one of the largest assassination agencies in the country. Dion, a hitman who's lived a life in the shadows for years, has finally found light in that darkness. After saving the witness to one of his hits, only to find the boy has a target on his back because of his involvement. Tyler's life was spared but at what cost? What is Dion willing to do to protect the light that found its way to the darkness?

For as long as anyone can remember, the kingdom of Nilemah has been overrun with rats. No one quite knows the cause, but there were rumors of someone going town to town and ridding them of the infestation. Gwen Weatherby thought they were nonsense until the day he rode into town and changed everything. A vain fae prince who played with one too many hearts, Lyron was cursed to watch his friends and family turn into beasts, and the people of his kingdom become victims of the curse. The only way to free them all is to find his true love and make her fall in love with him. The caveat? She cannot know of the curse or who he is, and he only has one month to win her heart. Each failed attempt curses the town the girl left behind and causes its people to turn into rats when the sun goes down. Rats that only respond to the pipe he plays. After a thousand years of searching, Lyron has long since lost hope, until fiery Gwen bursts into his life. A prince in need of a lesson and a girl in need of adventure? What say you fate? Shall we let them dance? Based on prompt 43 for @OpenNovellaContest You have waited a thousand years to find your true love, what's one more day? Pied Piper of Hamelin X Beauty and the Beast ✨️ ONC 2023 Longlister ✨️

Round One Ambassador Pick. Emily Hollyford fell in love with Oscar Trentham, Earl of Riverstoke, when she was just thirteen years old. All she wanted in life was to marry her prince charming in front of the most important people in her life-her parents. Oscar, on the other hand, only saw an annoying child who pestered him day and night while he was trying to enjoy his visits with his cousin Henry. Due to a series of devastating events, their paths don't cross again till many years later and Oscar can't help wondering what happened to the outgoing and vibrant Emily? Overshadowed by her cousin Cecily and treated horribly by her mother's brother and his wife, Emily is a shell of her former self. But with Oscar back in her life, can she overcome the hurts of her past and find herself again? And more importantly, can she still get her happily ever after? Prompt 33 They had their arrow aimed at their target's back, a perfect shot despite the crowded ballroom. Taking a deep, steading breath, they pulled the bowstring taught and prepared to let the arrow fly. But then their target turned and looked directly at them, finding them in the eaves as if they'd known they were there all along. The target winked.