Onc2023 قصص

A Curse crawls inexorably across the Elysium Realm, turning everything it touches to lifeless stone. Anara, a powerful young witch, vows to stop it, but became herself infected and disfigured. After his mother goes missing, Micah, an unaware college student, finds himself drawn into an alternate world where magic rules. A world with more connections to him than he realizes. Together, Anara and Micah face a curse that may ultimately consume both worlds. But the political leadership fears their manipulation, and shadowy forces exist that do not wish them to succeed. **** 2024 Ambys Top Pick ****

At the command of her dying brother and Alpha, Elizabet flees from the only home she's ever known. His final words to her reveal dangerous and deadily secrets. But the most shocking is that somewhere in the wild north remains her brothers last vestige ; a son born between him and a secret mate. The battle for the right to rule has begun and if any of Elizabet's siblings find out the truth--the child's life will be in danger. That's why she must find him first. And the fastest way to reach the north is to travel through The Murkwood. A dangerous forest filled with vicious monsters and slumbering gods from the fae age before The Cleaving. The stars appear to be on Elizabet's side when she saves a mysterious and handsome stranger. He knows how to travel through The Murkwood. And he promises to guide her to repay his debt. But the more time they spend together she begins to wonder what his true motive's are. Prompt 36*

Ben Goldman, a seasoned property agent, has always prided himself on matching people with their perfect homes. But when he takes on the historic 111 West End, he finds himself entangled in a web of secrets and supernatural occurrences. As new tenants Nick and Georgina Reynolds move in, they quickly realise that the house holds more than architectural charm. Haunted by the spirits of children and Dr. Arthur Bennet's tormented soul, the couple must navigate eerie disturbances and uncover the dark history buried within the walls. With Ben's malevolent presence lurking in the shadows, Georgina's life hangs in the balance. Will she uncover the truth and escape the clutches of the past, or will the house claim another victim? ONC Shortlister 2023

[ONC Shortlister - 4x Featured] Professional thief and smuggler, Nio Barn, lives by one rule: break them all. When his criminal past finally catches up to him, he's faced with a choice: win the world's most dangerous racing competition in exchange for freedom or face a lifetime in an overcrowded prison cell. As he enters a world of high-speed thrills, deception and betrayal, Nio realises that life in the Speed Sprint races is far from easy. Forced into a fake relationship with his teammate to keep the money flowing, Nio instead feels more drawn to his fiercest competitor, Ruben Vincuña. With ten races across ten different countries, the stakes are high and the tension is palpable. Only one can be crowned champion. Only one can be free. Death is but a corner away. Written for the Open Novella Contest 2023, based on the prompts: 69 - I had a marvellous time ruining everything - Taylor Swift 49 - Master the rules of the game until you play it better than they can - Michael Scott Four times featured: Romance - Rainbow of Love Dystopian & Apocalypse - Rebellion: Against The System Speculative Fiction - A Crack In The System Science Fiction - Punk Fiction

ONC 2023 Shortlister His features had haunted her for years; a boy with silver eyes peering out from beneath a mask of bone. His body cloaked in darkness, a wicked grin upon his lips that spoke of treachery-- a smile that had broken countless hearts. And in that instant, in the midst of this game of life and death, Lucy wondered if hers would be next... .................... Lucy was warned never to trust those within the Carnival of The Lost-- a circus of strange creatures who spend their nights in performance, vanishing during the day. Yet she is drawn in by its music, her dreams filled with the face of a mysterious boy who's eyes shine pale as the moon, the air of a dark power shrouding him. But when by her own hand a deadly mistake is made, she must play the carnival master's wicked game to set everything right. Written for the Open Novella Contest 2023, this novella is a companion book to my short story 'At Autumn's Edge.' Prompt used; 49. "Master the rules of the game until you can play it better than they can." Cover image AI generated using Canva. Cover composition made by the author.

Regulus died in a dark lake. Sirius died falling through the veil. The brothers both awake with lingering memories of limbo's message of trying again as well as the multiple lives they're meant to proceed through simultaneously. Disclaimer - I don't own Harry Potter. This story is one of my ONC projects for 2024, but the inspiration for this story is prompt number six. "Your life as you know it has ended. Somewhere in Limbo you're met with the message: 'Something went wrong. Please try again.'"

After another mission gone wrong, young superhero Phia wakes up with a problem that seems strange, even for people in her line of work. Her burnt fingers are telling her that she's the only person who can rescue her teams leader, the long lost Penelope. While trying not to fall any harder for her roommate, keep up in classes, and stop failing at missions, can Phia also untangle the mystery of her fingers and find Penelope before the Young Empowered People's Program catches wind of her strange new power. *ONC 2023 From the ONC prompt 23) They were not real, everyone told me they were not real, but why are they here? Why are they trying to talk to me? What are the calling me the ONE? Why are they staring at me like that?

A twist in time. A villainous lady hated by the ton. A quest to avoid ruin. When Ria's Grandmother suddenly disappeared, she didn't expect the search would bring them to 19th century England. After possessing a body of a woman hell-bent to profess her love to the most dashing man in town, Ria must salvage what little of what's left with "her" reputation to live a comfortable life, at least until she could find a way to return to her own time. Taken from Prompt #70 (ONC 2023)

Xiaochen dreams of angsty tragedies covered in purple tinted heartbreak. Hanzhang wants to own the world. Their disagreement over a bitter cup of coffee might just turn their worlds around.

"Music is the bridge that can connect people together despite their differences." A slogan that the Brutius Sanahiva theater was built upon. A theater with an honorable reputation spanning centuries and galaxies. A theater with a phenomenon called "The Ballet of The Birds." Once every decade to hear the newly elected Celestial Songbird sing with her mysterious Alto. Legends spun throughout the years that perhaps the Alto was nothing but a recording as the voice never faltered, never wavered. Impeccable, impossible. Aqulia Barbosa, a curious halfling (half- human, half-alien) finds herself uncovering secrets of the theater as she accidentally befriends the custodian. A large lizard-like creature who seems to know a lot more about Brutius Sanahiva than most people. What will she uncover? Will she find the reason behind the Ballet of the Birds? Will she find out who this mysterious Alto is? Or will her curiosities be snuffed out by Brutius Sanahiva's security before she can?

Constance meets a hot man named Beom on a bus. She always sees him on her commute to her new job, but is too scared to say anything to him. One day, she decides to talk to him. He is surprised when she can see him. After all, he has invented a way to be invisible to everyone, saying he's done with other people's expectations. Constance has to slowly coax Beom to stop doing that by convincing him of the value of being seen. |One of my entries for the 2023 Open Novella Contest| |Cover designed by @EstelleKnightrise| |Description is under construction| © Sherly Holmes 2023 (All Rights Reserved)

Is he the greatest sorcerer that exists, or is he the biggest sham? *** Meet Aliath; the High Wizard of the Edvan empire as he searches for signs of the enemy within. He meets Hela, a mysterious girl who catches his attention. He later realizes that the enemy he sought was right beside him all along. And she has been tasked with one mission; his death! With war looming around, time is running out for Aliath. And he has a very important choice to make.

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?

ONC 2023 Shortlist Astrid, the Princess of Eurovea, a country existing several centuries in the future, had led a happy and sheltered life in the castle ruled by Regent Arcturus, her uncle. Only on reaching the age of ascension when, according to an ancient tradition, all future queens must face a trial, she realised that there were great gaps in her knowledge of the world around her, her uncle, and even the people she thought she knew well. In a world where love doesn't exist, a young girl who understands old novels better than her reality is sent on a dangerous quest to save her country from creatures who, just like love, were not supposed to be true... Mystery, romance, adventure, and magic combine in this tale, in which a young princess who had grown up surrounded by an impenetrable web of lies, has to find her true identity, and free her kingdom from suffering. A young-adult, dystopian, paranormal fantasy-romance. The wonderful cover created by @WakeWriteWrath

Through the eyes of Finlay Amery, a young teen who made a shocking discovery about the world he lives in, sets out on a mission to discover the truth.

Canadian Piper Ouellet is going to Paris. She knows the language, she knows the city, and most of all, she knows her ballet. Offered a place in the corps de ballet in the most prestigious ballet in the world, Piper and her best friend Rafael don't even think twice before they accept. They cannot wait for the grand adventures they'll have. Only problem is they can't afford them. The house hunt in Paris is cut-throat and impossible. In their price range, even on a good day the pickings are slim. And they've left their search for the last minute, so they have no other option than to rent the small one-bedroom flat operated by a grumpy old woman who only speaks Spanish. The catch? She'll only rent to one of them. Unless they are married. A coin flip will decide their fate. Heads, he gets the apartment; tails, she does. But what happens when the coin gives them an answer they don't want? ~ * ~ * ~ This is one of the novellas I'm writing for ONC 2023. You can find the rest on my profile! For this story, I've selected prompt # 5. "Flip a coin and make a life choice with it. Two choices, one coin, and no turning back. Do you dare?"

The new and attractive landlord has left everyone else wanting to make a good impression. But me? I've known something was off from the moment he shook my hand. There's just something wrong about him. Something . . . dark. But I brushed it off. And now it might be too late. Guess I should have listened to my instincts after all. __________________________________ This story contains profanity and violence. • ONC 2023 •

🏆ONC 2023 || Ambassador's Pick 🏆ONC 2023 || Round Two Qualifier One night is all it takes to change a life. There's something wrong with Felicity Farr. It's how she can't seem to do her job right no matter how hard she tries, and how she's still under her parents' thumb years after moving out, and how she looks at girls the way she should look at boys. So even though she can't fix anything, she tries to fix herself all the same. But when a blind date ends with her in an attractive stranger's bed, Felicity is forced to question everything in her life. Especially when said attractive stranger asks her to run away with her for a week. Clover Chai is beautiful, confident, and everything Felicity should avoid. But she captures Felicity like the drag of the tide, and as the week drags on, Felicity finds herself having to choose between her head and her heart---especially since she can't imagine her summer fling remaining a fling anymore.

Born the son of a lowly hunter and abandoned as a child, Zhenxing never expected to be brought to Heaven and become the most treasured attendant of the mighty Tiger Immortal, one of the twelve Zodiac Guardians appointed by the Jade Emperor. But the world is tumultuous and not even the Heavenly Realm resides in peace for long. On the eve of the Lunar New Year, a dreadful discovery is made. The Tiger Immortal is found dead and a grieving Zhenxing flees Heaven, blamed and pursued by the remaining eleven Zodiacs. Abandoned and bewildered, Zhenxing seeks refuge in the one place those of the Heavenly Realm are loathe to tread: the Demon Realm. While in hiding, he discovers shocking evidence that the one who killed the Tiger Immortal was not his most beloved servant, but one of his fellow Guardians! With the help of a sinister and charming demon prince named Lixin, Zhenxing digs further into the mystery hoping to clear his name and avenge his beloved Tiger Immortal. Beautiful cover made by my lovely friend @AriaofStorms

Flip a coin, and you'll have your answer before it ever lands. Tobias has been flipping a coin his entire life, except this coin in particular, never lead him wrong. Problems ranging from a minor random thought, to life changing decisions such as deciding to skip school. He'd never been the same since he had to watch the life leave the eyes of the only person who showed him kindness. Since then, Tobias has been coining his way through every situation and managed to keep living on. It was only natural that when suddenly his coin went missing, Tobias himself flipped. Locating it in the grubby hands of a stranger in his school, Tobias rightly demands it back. Only... when the coin reveals the answer to a question that was not fully intended to be one... Tobias just has one question. Fangs or Tails? ONC 2023 Prompt #5 Flip the coin and make a life choice with it. Two choices, one coin, and no turning back. Do you dare? Started: February 8th 2023 Ended: -