Onc2026 Stories

For Centuries Grim has been collecting souls. It's what he does, it's his purpose. One day, while collecting a soul in the park, he comes across a lost puppy. For reasons he can't explain, the urge to return the small dog to his owner is overwhelming. He soon finds the animal's owner, a woman in her mid-twenties named Maria. He is struck down by her beauty and realizes that he had once claimed the soul of someone she loved. He becomes even more conflicted when he realizes he has just one year to claim her soul.

What happens when a bored teenager ventures into the woods? Expecting a peaceful afternoon of listening to the birds and watching the falling leaves, Megan has her whole world thrown every which way after finding herself lost on a well walked path. She could never have guessed what would follow a simple stroll among the trees. And now she is left to try and convince her skeptical parents that it did actually happen.

An average Wattpad reader winds up in a story―and a sauna. One pair of smoldering eyes and one fire extinguisher later, she has met her male love interest, learned that he's a billionaire mafia werewolf and that she's a millionaire vampire werewolf, and chaos ensues. Will the enemies-to-lovers trope work its magic? Or is she doomed to a failed plot in a story that will forever be left unfinished? Enjoy the insanity. She won't. (But I will complete her story because I'm not that mean of an author.)

You're never too old to go on an adventure. ------------ Every year in the kingdom of Asledia, a handful of eighteen-year-olds are chosen by the gods to complete a quest. If they are successful, a grand reward awaits. Gwyneira Fowler is pushing forty and content with her role as both a spinster and an assistant manager at her parents' flower farm. When a cat-sized dragon appears in one of the family hothouses and declares that she has been chosen, Gwyneira's quiet, predictable life is upended. Within days, she finds herself on the back of a strong, steady mule, headed gods-know-where in search of a sacred garden. And the little dragon? She's coming, too, much to Gwyneira's chagrin. Stepping outside of one's comfort zone can be difficult. Sometimes all you need is a little push. And a muzzle for the dragon. ONC '26 Prompt #3: You don't expect much excitement in your quiet garden until the day a dragon suddenly appears among the flowers.

When you think of vampires, you probably think of Dracula or--shudder--Edward Cullens. You know what I mean: the romanticized, sexy version of a vampire. The one with sparkly skin and a charismatic compulsion. Hot. Sexy. Let's be real here, Gary Oldman really set the bar, right? But what fiction doesn't tell you is that being a vampire is messy and, quite frankly, HARD. It's ugly and lonely, and don't even get me started about tracking down blood. I'm wanted in every province (ever hear of the Bloody Killer? Yeah, that's me. Totally lame serial killer moniker, by the way, RCMP). I didn't have the choice to turn into a vampire, but, boy, did my creator pick the wrong person. Out of control, clumsy, drunk, messy, blah, blah, blah. You get the idea. I know, I should probably see a therapist, huh? Well, my trail of bloodless bodies soon catches up to me when a chance encounter with a hottie in a cafe leaves me with his phone by mistake, and I realize just how f***ed I am. And as I do my best to keep him away (while trying to survive as a vampire), I can't help but fall for the cafe hottie, putting a stake on my life. *** ONC '26 prompts: #56 and #81

Power is a Disease. Victor was never truly special. His call to arms two years ago, back in 2052, was just another fluke of fate-one that dragged him into a fight for a world already ravaged and dying, constantly destroyed and broken by the Ijo that appears every day. Now, in 2054, Victor's tour of duty is finally over. He can go home, back to the "sky." It feels surreal, so much so that he almost forgets what he is: a super-soldier, the pinnacle of the United Nations military, and one of the twelve elite members of the Oberhaupt unit. But only minutes before departure, Victor is left behind, a "prisoner" on Earth's surface. What follows is a descent into a series of disturbing and destructive events that won't just block his path home-they will force him back into the dark, claustrofobic embrace of his armor, the Kariudo. Inside, he must fight to numb his mind, to stop thinking, and to somehow... survive the suit itself. Qualified at Open Novella Contest 2026 Round One: 2k achievement

She wakes with missing hours, a burning imprint carved into her shoulder, and no memory of who put it there. Nyxara Blackvein is an assassin who survives by control. Control over her body. Her blades. Her choices. But the mark beneath her skin has a will of its own, pulling her toward Stillreach-a city protected by an impossible shield and a power no one dares to name. Torin Cross was never part of the plan. A half-elf bard with a charming smile and secrets of his own, he's headed in the same direction for reasons that don't quite add up. When violence forces them to fight side by side, trust forms before either of them is ready for it. Whatever waits in Stillreach is already watching. ONC 2026 Prompts used. 32. Two assassins from rival organizations are sent on the same secret mission, only to realize the assignment holds a much bigger truth. 86. A wasteland hides pockets of thriving communities protected by mysterious shields. 99. You wake up with a strange mark on your skin after a late-night encounter you can barely remember, and its meaning grows more unsettling by the hour.

Lizzie is a hardworking and ambitious young witch - not that anybody around her would ever say so. Instead of taking after her very magically gifted mother, Lizzie is plagued by bad luck and chronic clumsiness. An accident that doesn't feel particularly accidental leads Lizzie into a chain of odd little quests that reveal more about the world than she could have ever imagined. One moment she is running an errand in the market and the next she is tasked with breaking curses. Joined by a strange mage from the southern isles and a princess the size of her thumb, Lizzie quickly forgets what her peaceful life used to be like.

Two rival assassin orders rule the shadows: one devoted to silence and order, the other to fire and rebellion. Caught between masks, lies, and shifting loyalties, two assassins with a dangerous past is forced into a game where every truth is a weapon and every choice cuts deeper than the last.

25-year old Lee still hasn't figured out why they could not form any long-lasting relationships, even friendships for that matter. Aside from family members, which they are obligated to talk to, there is no one else Lee had even come close to calling a friend. Well, maybe except for one. -------- Submitted for ONC 2026 @OpenNovellaContest Using the following prompts : 29. You will meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, but some will leave footprints in your heart. 104. While wandering in the woods, you dismiss the rustling behind you as nothing more than wind through the trees until you turn around and realize it isn't the wind at all. 106. After waking at 3AM to a freezing room and a door you're certain you closed, you find wet footprints and melting snow leading from your bedroom into the hall. Realizing someone or something is inside your home, you follow the trail to uncover the truth.

The Open Novella Contest is back for 2026! Join fellow storytellers and plant the seed of a tale that will blossom into a 20,000+ word novella within 12 weeks! Your epic quest begins February 1st, 2026, so mark your calendars with this date!

This space is created especially for writers participating in the Open Novella Contest 2026 Writing a novella is exciting... but also confusing, lonely, and full of self-doubt. ❤️ Is my story good enough? ❤️Is my opening strong? ❤️Will readers understand my characters? ❤️Am I even on the right track? You don't have to figure this out alone. This book club is a place where contestants can: ✔ Share their entries ✔ Get genuine reads ✔ Receive honest and helpful feedback ✔ Improve their chapters ✔ Support fellow writers Here, we don't compete. We grow together. If you are writing for the Open Novella Contest and want readers, reviews, and real feedback - this circle is for you. Let's help each other write better stories.

PROMPTS USED: MAIN: 97. When the world slips into endless darkness, something begins to move in the shadows and you must find a way to survive in a night that never ends SIDE: 93. Buried beneath the ruins lies an artifact that whispers the memories of an ancient being. The first memory it reveals is a warning and it's meant for you. 104. While wandering through the woods, you dismiss the rustling behind you as nothing more than the wind until you turn around and realize it isn't the wind at all.

"Somewhere, I'll be waiting for you." "Someday, I'll forget about you." Three years after Victor's suicide, Evan prepares to marry the woman he loves, but is haunted by the man he loved first: her brother, Victor. Caught between a living commitment and a dead man's memory, Evan realizes that marrying her might be the only way to stay close to the one he lost. [[ ONC2026 Submission ]]

Senara was supposed to die at sixteen. Her heart was weak, her body was fragile, and the entire village was ready to bury her. But as dusk fell, Death granted her immortality. Then the healing turned into a curse: her touch claimed lives, her family was exiled, and her name became the legend of a monstrous creature that haunted the forest. Years later, only a gravedigger named Malren dared to approach and see her as human ... until Senara learned some painful truths. *** ONC 2026 Prompt no. 114: An immortal being, worn down by centuries and cursed so that anyone they touch dies, starts searching for a way to finally end their endless life. But Death, who has grown possessive and infatuated with them, refuses to let them go.

Every Night Julia Pepper finds herself dreaming of a perfect faceless soulmate, one that she has never felt in this world. Until, she meets Leo Archer. Being in his presence, reminds her of the very feeling of the faceless man in her dreams. As Leo unfolds to her she finds that there are similarities to the world she dreams and the world she lives. Will she be able to distinguish reality from a dream?

Kae and Ryan really hate each other. But when a magical temple and a deadly curse force them together, they must fight lies, danger, and the unbreakable bond that grows between them... whether they like it or not.

Jackson Volkov is the King of Federal Max. After three years in solitary, he's more animal than man-a lethal weapon for the Russian Bratva with a cage-door heart and a hair-trigger temper. He doesn't talk, he doesn't negotiate, and he certainly doesn't play by the rules. Julian Thorne is a disgraced elite. A high-priced defense attorney who fell from grace and landed in the prison's administrative wing. He's polished, arrogant, and looks at Jackson like a stain on his expensive floor. He thinks he's in control because he holds the clipboard. He thinks his sharp tongue can keep the beast at bay. When Julian is assigned to Jackson's "re-entry" case, the friction between them is enough to burn the prison down. In a world where touch is a luxury and weakness is a death sentence, Jackson is about to teach the "Quiet Student" that some ledgers are written in blood-and some men are never truly caged

33. It doesn't take long before everything spins out of control. One moment you're a secret assassin, and the next, you've somehow been hired as a nanny and you're not entirely sure how it happened. Ambrosia Lancer is the most diverse-not best- lady assassin in their city, wielding poison and hatpins alike, but most her "kills" are the warning cards that assassins leave behind the first time they're contracted. Many, in case they're caught, pretend they're giving the warning instead of a true attempt. While it is customary, the higher the target, the less they observe rules that don't benefit them. This situation fits Duke Liesterpier's temper so well that Ambrosia's handlers should warn her not to take his case? Somebody failed in their research, and it's up to Ambrosia to strike a deal with this temperamental man before he abuses his rights as a nobleman.

I woke in the dark, and it recognized me. Stars trembled at the edges of my sight, slipping away one by one, their fading whispers reaching for me-begging to be seen, to be heard, to be saved. Voices follow, offering me names that don't belong to me, each one a life they swear I lived. Their memories fracture against each other, splintering into impossible versions of who I'm meant to be. It feels as though the world itself is struggling to hold my shape, unsure which story I belong to-or how many times I've slipped through its grasp. And nothing feels real. Not the town. Not the sky. Not this fragile body that contains me like a trembling lie. At midnight, the tattoos on my skin wake, stirring like constellations trying to remember their shapes. They call to me with quiet urgency, urging me to fulfill the stories they carry-tales carved in light long before this world learned to speak. I don't know who I am. I don't know why I'm here. But something inside me remembers-something vast, ancient, and impossible to ignore. And the darkness I came from is calling me home. 🌌 Dedicated with love to @dyingfrominside - your art gave this story its first breath. 🪐#ONC2026 🌙Integrated Prompts: 69. The stars are disappearing one by one, and only you can hear their whispers. 77. Everyone in town remembers you differently, as if each person has lived a completely different version of your life. 78. You begin to realize that nothing is quite what it seems. 95. At midnight, every tattoo on your body comes to life and demands you fulfill the stories they represent.