Onc2026 Stories

They say King Midas was greedy. They say he begged a god for gold. That is not the truth. Midas was a faithful husband, a devoted father, and a king who valued peace over excess. But when Dionysus grows jealous of mortal happiness, he grants Midas a "gift" that turns everything he touches to gold. When the curse is lifted, Midas believes he has been forgiven. He is wrong. What follows is not a lesson in greed - but a punishment in love, immortality, and divine cruelty. Some curses do not end at the river. Some only begin there.

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!

Vivien never thought her favorite mafia novel would become her prison-until she woke up inside it, trapped as the villainess fiancée who was supposed to die. She wasn't the heroine. She was the cruel woman who tormented Alina, the girl sold to Dante Moretti. A woman hated by everyone... and killed by the man she was promised to. But Vivien remembers every page. Every betrayal. Every heartbeat before her death. Determined to rewrite her fate, she avoids Dante and Alina, hoping to stay invisible. Only Dante doesn't look away. His icy gaze follows her like a predator's hunt. The cold, ruthless mafia king becomes dangerously obsessed-with Vivien She was never meant to be loved. Now she's his only desire. And in his world, obsession never lets go. At this point she wasn't running from the plot But his obsession.. ⚠️I claim this book is mine. If u didn't liked the storyline then please don't read. Don't be rude. Thank you⚠️

When the big bad dragon finally meets his match, it can mean only one thing--it's time to run away. That, and Alyx's weekend jut got complicated. Okay, I guess it means two things.

Isolde Hawthorne thought her senior year at Hohenfels Academy would be ordinary - the usual mix of familial pressure, exams, whispered secrets in hallways, and the subtle dramas of teenage life. That is, until she brought a hand mirror with a history darker than anything she had ever studied. Some reflections hide secrets. Some secrets are alive... and deadly. When shadows twist where light should be, and whispers echo through empty corridors, only a few can see the truth. Fewer still can survive it. And in the shadows of the academy, she isn't sure which she fears more - the spirit, or its potential to reveal parts of her that have been carefully hidden.

With programming and witchcraft skills, two opposite girls attempt to solve their town's mystery. Olivia is a witch from a human family. Alazea is a human-by-choice from a witch bloodline. Five years ago, they basically switched lives. While they don't understand each other's choices, they have grown to like each other through tutoring lessons and class notes exchanges. When an artefact disappears from their town museum, they take the opportunity to prove to each other that their chosen path is the best. Az with her computer and Oli with her potions, the friendly competition makes them confront the idea they have of the other, in more than one way. All visual art in the story is mine. ONC Prompt - (11) The daughter of the most powerful witch is nothing like her mother.

A grown-up Wei Wuxian butt dials Lan Wangji an old friend they haven't seen in years after a falling out. Back in Gusu high they were close friends and rivals. They pushed each other academically and that was their whole dynamics. Things changed in college. Lan Wangji went to Tsinghua University. Wei Wuxian went to Hubei Engineering University. First year of University Wei Wuxian was accused of cheating and expelled. Wei Wuxian's family disowned him without hearing his side of the story. Later on Wei Wuxian managed to get admission in Hubei Health Vocational College and completed his education in Traditional Chinese Medicine. He had been living in a small village in Hubei since. His life was so different from Lan Wangji that they never caught up but Wei Wuxian could never make himself delete his number.

If monsters need humans, and humans don't need monsters... which species is truly powerful? And what happens when humanity finally realizes that? The strategist Hugo meets Merille. She is not human, and so they stand in direct opposition. But Merille is unlike any monster he knows. She doesn't need him. Control is the answer. But how can he wield power when the rules have changed? It's time to control the system before it masters him. According to prompt 80. Monsters don't live under our beds. They live in the recesses of our minds.

"𝖀𝖘𝖊 𝖒𝖊, 𝖒𝖞 𝖉𝖆𝖗𝖑𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖉𝖆𝖗𝖐𝖓𝖊𝖘𝖘. 𝖀𝖘𝖊 𝖒𝖊 𝖚𝖓𝖙𝖎𝖑 𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗𝖊 𝖎𝖘 𝖓𝖔𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖑𝖊𝖋𝖙 𝖆𝖕𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖋𝖗𝖔𝖒 𝖆 𝖍𝖊𝖆𝖗𝖙 𝖙𝖍𝖆𝖙 𝖇𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖘 𝖔𝖓𝖑𝖞 𝖋𝖔𝖗 𝖞𝖔𝖚." Thalene Nihili is an assassin. An orphan. A girl who was raised by wolves until she became something sharper. She has no time to frolic in fields and braid flowers into her hair. She does not have time to enjoy the little things in life. What life does she have? What luxuries can she enjoy, living in the village with no proper food, no proper water, chased away by the nobles who look down upon those born not of fine blood? Melekh Solis is the eldest son of the Royal Family. The Crown Prince. The Golden Heir. He is also a man who cares for nothing more than the dramatics and the highs of life. Not the lows. Never the lows. He exists in the dreamy wonderland between being drunk and being very drunk. He does not care for much in this world. How could he, when he knows the outcome of every situation that could ever happen and will ever happen? Main Prompt: 1. Two rivals discover they're the chosen heirs to a legendary weapon that will only activate if they work together.

A princess with no memories of her past marries a king very intimidating. However, life is not so cruel, and perhaps she came to the right person. **** Sita was a princess of the kingdom of Videha. Thought to be dead years ago, she returns amidst secrecy with no memories of her past. She feels she has returned home, but not quite so. Unable to understand why her own family feels so aloof, she reluctantly agrees to marry the King of Aryavarta, Rama. Their marriage is a hush-hush event, not the pompous, celebratory kind one would expect a king to have. As days go by, Sita understands that the King is not as bad as the world paints him to be. She doesn't know if she can love him; perhaps she is beginning to, but doesn't hope for reciprocation. Until, one night, when she finds him sleeping with a tear-drenched face, clutching a letter written in her handwriting. Turns out she had forgotten him, but he never did.

Waking up in a new world is shocking, even for a robot. Silver, on the other hand, has known nothing else than this. She has been an outsider her entire life. Zer0 was created as a promise for the future. Silver is surplus, trying to stay unnoticed. Both struggle with expectations that don't fit who they are. But is what they've been told true, or must they discover their own truth? Together, they explore what they want and what the world truly needs. Because more of the same is what created their current situation. It is time to rewrite the system. Together. According to prompt 28. Self-love often starts small, like planting a single seed. With time, patience, and a bit of light, it will blossom.

Resilience: Loss & Love #ONC2026 Prompt used: Spring (New Beginnings, Growth) #28 - Self-love often starts small, like planting a single seed. With time, patience, and a bit of light, it will blossom. (MAIN prompt) This novella explores: *Healing through nature, travel and solitude *Grief, loss, and the quiet aftermath *Reclaiming identity after pain *Self-love as a daily, deliberate choice *Resilience as a inspiration of hope *Finding love unexpectedly When loss shatters her world, she chooses self-love, purpose, and resilience-unaware that love will bring her healing. Stacey, a small town girl with big ambitions found herself tangled in mistakes that helped shaped her current directions, but of late, she's unraveling at the seams, wanting a different outlook on life. She's created a product that could take her places, but she needs to find the right opportunity, find peace of mind, let got of the past and embrace the opportunities that's about to come her way. Will she embrace and welcome the new beginning to something that could change her life forever? Can she recognize the genuine love that can truly heal her?

This story is based on the prompt 1 and 11 of open novella consents 2026. Elizabeth Santiago is the great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great granddaughter of Rachel Franklin and William Santiago. While , Lucas Eliott or Elliotte is the great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great great grandson of one of the trinity sisters. . Will they leave their egos , differences and eternal feud behind and working together or will their egos burned down their kingdoms. Find out more!!!!!!.

Park Jimin had grown up living a rather normal life. He had loving parents, great friends, and enjoyed fun school activities. Now he's living life as a well loved member of the band BTS. On his 21st birthday, he receives a letter. A letter that begins to shatter everything he thought he knew about himself. The more secrets that are revealed, the harder it is to answer the question... Who really 𝘪𝘴 Park Jimin? -- A Jimin Mystery/Thriller TW: Strong Language Angst Open ending - Writing for ONC 2026 Combined prompts: 78. You begin to realize that nothing is quite what it seems. 79. A letter arrives addressed to you, written by someone who shouldn't exist.

Ryazan, one of the grandest cities in all Rus', lays along the war path of ten thousand Tatar warriors eager to seize the spoils of a short-fought campaign: the women of the city and gold from its treasury. Having set up camp on the riverbank outside the city, they await a reply from the envoys of Grand Prince Yuriy. As the Grand Prince deliberates, his brothers both caution and council him. If Ryazan falls, the rest of Rus' may be next ─ an outcome his people grow ever more wary of, turning to priests and heretics alike as rumor and fear run rampant inside the city walls. Finally left untended, the Polovtsian princess Yanay, conquered once before, now belonging to one of the Grand Prince's brothers, quietly observes these developments. She prays to her old gods when she can, and aligns herself with a young Tatar captive and soon-to-be deposed priest, all the while secretly seeking her freedom and revenge. ──────── ☽ ◯ ☾ ──────── A retelling of the Siege of Ryazan complete with rageful women and warrior princes; gods both kind and cunning; and sin aplenty. Copyright © 2026 Elle Chaika Open Novella Contest 2026 | Prompt No. 45

A race against the clock. A truth that must be uncovered. Fast. Nosha Yeats, a CCPD field operative, inserts herself into the takedown of a high-profile terrorist without authorization. But the op goes sideways and she comes face to face with a lie buried nearly twenty years ago. A lie that hits far closer to home than she ever imagined. The objective changes. The stakes escalate. Will she uncover the truth before time runs out... or disappear like the rest in a tightening web of lies and conspiracy?

En un mundo donde los cielos cambian según el ánimo de los dioses y las ciudades flotan sobre abismos infinitos, Zarek, un mercenario sin memoria, se encuentra protegiendo a Elyra, una cartógrafa capaz de leer mapas que predicen el destino. Juntos deberán atravesar territorios prohibidos, enfrentarse a criaturas ancestrales y desentrañar secretos que podrían destruir el mundo. Entre traiciones, sombras que susurran y un antiguo poder que busca reclamar sus almas, descubrirán que su destino está entrelazado al del mundo... y que solo ellos decidirán si este sobrevive o se pierde para siempre.

Vampires don't sleep. They don't dream. And they definitely don't date humans. Andrew has managed centuries without breaking those rules. Working at a small café in a world where supernatural beings live openly among humans, he's mastered the art of being ordinary. Then there's Lara. She's human. She's kind. She smiles at him like he has a heartbeat. With a sarcastic ghost as his only confidant, Andrew finds himself doing the one thing he swore he never would imagining a future. But what does forever mean when the person you care about doesn't have it? Gonna be my submission for Open Novel Comp 2026 Yes i used ai for the covers why because its at least somewhat original and i don't have any artistic skill so suck it up

Sequel to I am Freedom! about Jane Darling's adventures in Neverland. Judges, I'm using Prompt 87 as a theme. Judges, please read I am Freedom! if you have the time.

Dear Future Me, "All I want to say is........ thank you." •°•°•°• In a world defined by soulmate marks, Han Neve is the unluckiest one, cause the universe never called her name. But the silence gets broken by the same nightmare every night, where she finds the end of herself by the hands of a person she's unable to recognise.....yet. When a letter dated years in the future, written in her own handwriting arrives she thought they were playing with her mind but the countdown on her wrist instead of a name or symbol told a different story. Tore between a beautiful lie and a person she was born to hate, what will happen when she finds the truth herself? Will she still make her own rules or accept the universe's decision....... before it's too late? -°•°- A Park Jimin Fanfiction that follows the story of two troublemakers with a pinch of thrill and slowburn. Don't judge. English is not my first language. Started -