Onc2026 Stories

Very few explorers have the honor of bonding with a dungeon companion, so when a youngling thunderbird chooses Faris as his human, the young explorer is over the moon. Imagine how amazing he will look with a thunderbird by his side! His popularity will skyrocket, no doubt! But the thunderbird beats him to it. Not only that, he also seems to love causing trouble for his human with all his antics. To make it worse, the higher-ups still value the bird, putting aside Faris' feelings in favor of his dungeon companion. Faris hates his thunderbird, even more so when he is transferred to a new unit dedicated to raising his thunderbird. Gone is the spotlight. Gone is the popularity, the praise and the stage he longs for. In return, he has to babysit a bird in the dungeon, a mission without public recognition. How is he going to raise a dungeon bird? He is an explorer, not a zoologist! He is supposed to fight monsters, not to babysit an animal! This mission is a scam! Copyright ©️ 2026 by Aleks All rights reserved

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.

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!

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.)

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.

Whatever screwed-up plan of the Universe is this? Jas was hit by a car and most DEFENITELY died. However, somehow, she cannot quite manage to stay dead. Unfortunately, staying alive for long doesn't seem to be in the cards for Jas either. If there is one thing to be sure about this endless, cursed loop she's in, it's this: Karma truly is a b**tch.

-Some cages have no walls- Luniva is called the vampire girl. Dark hair, pale skin and a softness that somehow feels dangerous. Feared by her village and haunted by rumors, she remains bound by a longing she can't name. Seen for the first time, she isn't feared but understood and that by the one person who will change everything. Now her story begins... Open Novella Contest: prompt #78 [You begin to realize that nothing is quite what it seems.] prompt #80 [»Monsters don't live under our beds. They live in the recesses of our minds.«] prompt #29 [You will meet many people in your life. Many will come and go, but some will leave footprints on your heart.] prompt #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.]

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.

Ginny lives in a secluded cottage on a magical version of earth under the reign of dragons. She's been able to stay out of their way, until a small, injured dragon appears in her garden, asking for her help. And for some reason, she gives it. Written for the 2026 open novella contest, prompt #3: "You don't expect much excitement in your quiet garden until the day a dragon suddenly appears among the flowers"

ONC 2026

Elara Vaelor's life collapses within four days. Once a promising fencing champion, she is suddenly accused of cheating and stripped of her career, her reputation, and her future. Framed by those in power, Elara is left with nothing but unanswered questions and a broken name. When an ancient painting gifted by her grandfather begins to reveal hidden secrets, Elara realizes her fall is connected to something far older-and far more dangerous-than a sports conspiracy. Betrayal, buried history, and an unfinished destiny pull her toward a truth that could change not only her life, but the fate of a forgotten legacy. Some battles are not fought on a strip. Some are written in time.

After a year spent healing at St. Francis Mental Hospital, Neillah must piece together the life she was forced to leave behind without getting caught. ⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ ⠂⠄⠄⠂☆ When Neillah Thomas is released back into society she expects her family and friends to have moved on--not believe she's dead. Convinced it was for the best, her mother assures her temporary grief was better than long drawn hardship that could only end in pain, keeping her wellbeing a secret from everyone, but also single-handedly cutting off Neillah's entire support system. Sworn to secrecy, she attends college at her dream school only to find her former friend group in shambles. Between the cold stares, scathing retorts, and literal evasion, Neillah is shocked to find her first crush is a loner and that hot-headed best friend of hers? He seems to be staring in her direction a little too long. Clinging to her promise to remain out of sight, Neillah stubbornly fights for the closure they all deserve and answers she never got, no matter the cost. | An Open Novella Contest Entry | | Cover by the Amazing @Caralogues |

When they turn the mere age of eight every girl experiences the moment they've been told to wait for their entire lives. For November Ashida Princely the day she chose that envelope was the day she stopped believing in fairytales. That was the day she no longer believed when her parents told her every girl had a prince charming. Of course, given her age she didn't fully comprehend that the fate she'd been delt by her own hands was completely unavoidable. While others her age were destined to be betrothed by princes and set to live lives full of love and happiness November wasn't so fortunate. Because that day, of all the thousand envelopes before her November picked the only one with a crimson seal. Because that day of all the thousand envelopes November picked the only one with a tear on the edge. Because that day November picked the envelope that destined her to die at the hands of her soulmate. This is an ONC2026 entry. I will make it into a full novel after the ONC if over.

For the open novella contest, this is a story about a young girl who wakes up in the small town of Star Dew. The scenery is nice. The town's people are friendly. But she has no memories of how she got there. And things get surreal when she tries to leave town but is looped back in. Her only clue is a purple iris that glows in her dreams.

!!!WARNING!!! themes of verbal and physical abuse and potentially murder. "We love broken, beautiful people. And it doesn't get more obviously broken and more classically beautiful than you". Aaliyah Peters fears connection yet craves validation. She seeks peace, but fears love. Aaliyah's demons in life weren't just monsters under the bed or in storybooks; they were real and had been chasing her since before she could remember.

The mansion watches. The shadows whisper. Willow Heather thought she was a guest-but in the Atticus Estate, survival comes at a deadly price

Evelyn Stone lives inside a life that looks complete from the outside-married, settled, raising a healthy son in a house filled with routine and expectations. But beneath the checked boxes and Sunday smiles, her marriage has become a place where love is measured in logistics rather than attention, and worth is defined by usefulness instead of connection. Lucas is not unkind; he is simply finished-content with a version of Evie that no longer includes her dreams, her hunger, or her becoming. As Evie navigates motherhood in a body marked by survival and a spirit quietly starving to be seen, she begins to question what it means to matter in a life that has already decided she should be satisfied.

Nova's been searching her whole life for the one missing piece of her family puzzle. She's been told to give up over and over, with people telling her that it's all in her head. Is it? Spring break, Nova's mother leaves her at home while she attends a wedding in France. Nova decides that it's the perfect time for her to go searching for the one thing that she's been wondering for so long. "Where did he go?"

This novel is metaphysical. Read and comment. I used the main prompt: 7.One morning, the ocean washes up a message. One you've been waiting your entire life to hear. 94. At the seashore, you discover a message in a bottle foretelling a catastrophe that will strike in one week. The note gives you specific instructions to prevent it and warns that you must tell no one. Twist is : 115. A prophecy claims you will love two people. One destined to save your life and the other destined to destroy it. The trouble is, you have no idea which is which.