Onc26 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.

A counterfeit claim against a legendary wine ignites a high-stakes investigation in which a neurodivergent restaurateur and a forensic wine analyst must navigate forgery, deception, and their own unexpected connection to save a century-old legacy. Luc, owner of London's prestigious Le Rêve restaurant, faces a devastating crisis when a valued patron declares a prized vintage a fake. To protect his family's century-old reputation, he enlists Izzy, a brilliant but socially unconventional forensic wine analyst, eager to prove her mettle. Their shared autism initially creates an unexpected but undeniable spark of attraction, challenging their focus. But as they delve deeper into the complex world of wine fraud, they suspect a widespread conspiracy that threatens to destroy Le Rêve. Together, they must harness their unique abilities to expose the truth, safeguard the restaurant's legacy, and navigate their intensifying relationship, even as they battle their own internal worlds.

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!

"You were my brother Zain..." "Exactly... Were!" Kenji the Lucario lived happily with his parents within the Bolryn clan. He came from a long family of mighty warriors and was next in line to take his place serving under King Brindim as one of his loyal soldiers. That all changed in one night Now he finds himself in the wilds with only his unborn egg sibling to keep him company. He can't return home, at least not now... Not while he's being hunted... by someone he once considered family... Update: I did not make it past round 1 of Open Novella so if you're here because it's a tag, please keep this in mind so this story will probably be not as good. You have been warned please do not criticise me, I entered out of pure boredom and clearly some people didn't like what I wrote. Enjoy!

"Here is the information about your target." The file was handed to Taehyung, along with a shoulder pat. "You got three weeks. I'll let you know when it's the time, then finish him without any suspicions." "Park Jimin, Age 23, the only heir of Park Seojun, the chairman of the biggest real estate group - Park corp..." "Tsk." He clicked his tongue. "It's my first time getting a target the same age as me." ──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────── "Hello Jungkook. I've sent you the details of your next target." The female voice said from the other side. Park Jimin, age 23... "He is too pretty to die soon, you know?" Jungkook's laugh echoed in the silence of the office room. ──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ────── Taehyung and Jungkook - assassins from rival organizations called Shadows and Crimsons respectively. Same target - Park Jimin, 23, blind... What did a blind heir possible do to make two powerful organization want him dead? Will he survive the flames of hate this time? Will they find out the truths behind the flames that never died? ──────⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────

Aw feck. I died. And now I've transmigrated into some third rate web novel as a cannon-fodder's associate's background character. Still forced to work, now with my freedom in the hands of a tsundere young master Kun. This is the story of how I try to avoid overtime. ONC 2026 prompt #60 "You download a new app that promises to cure your boredom and it delivers far more than you ever expected."

To stand as a bystander at a wedding--watching a princess walk toward a future she doesn't want, while the knight standing in the shadows sheds silent tears for the love he can never claim--is a kind of agony no story ever prepares you for. The groom waits at the altar, the bride's heart waits elsewhere, and the knight waits for a miracle that will never come. A meaningless bond is about to be sealed, all in the name of duty pressing down on her shoulders. If only they had been given a happy ending. If only there were a way--some miracle--to free them from the torment of separation and let them run away from the heartbreak written for them. I couldn't bear to imagine that fate for the princess--my cousin Lillian--and her knight, Rowan. So, I decided to become that miracle. I became that twist in the tale that gives the lovers their escape. And I succeeded. Except stories don't end when the bride runs away. Because the prince she was meant to marry--the one left standing at the altar--did not take the betrayal lightly. He demanded the security footage, saw exactly who helped the bride flee, and discovered the traitor behind the plan: the bridesmaid. Me. And in his fury, he made it clear that the Mercer family would compensate him. His solution? Replace the runaway bride with the conspirator who helped her escape. Except that I, the conspirator, am ready to face the consequences--oblivious to how grave they may be. . . . This story is part of the Open Novella Contest 2026 based on the prompt "You begin to realize that nothing is quite what it seems".

(18. Prompt) At eighteen, Alice begin dreaming of a stranger who feels like her other half. When they finally meet in real life, everything she thought she knew about love and reality begins to shift.

She came to school to disappear. At nineteen, she's just another girl in oversized hoodies, keeping her head down and her secrets closer. No one here knows that her voice fills arenas. That her name trends worldwide. That under the stage lights, she becomes someone untouchable. Here, she just wants to be normal. He doesn't know why he keeps noticing her. There's something about the way she moves, like she's used to being watched, even when she pretends not to be. She's guarded. Careful. Almost afraid of being seen. He sees her anyway. But secrets have weight. Fame has shadows. And the closer she gets to normalcy, the harder it becomes to keep the two worlds from colliding. And if the truth comes out, they won't just lose their anonymity. They might lose the only place they've ever felt safe.

In a kingdom where no one has ever dreamed, Kenna starts dreaming one night. And they aren't regular dreams, no, they predict something. And it changes every time, but one thing remains the same. She can't ever get away from her father. Filled with fear of the dreams, and her father's reaction to them, she starts searching for the cursed witches, who need to be able to help her, if they exist.

**𝑨 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒔𝒆 𝒏𝒂𝒎𝒆. 𝑨𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒍𝒆𝒈𝒂𝒄𝒚. 𝑨 𝒘𝒂𝒓 𝒃𝒆𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒘𝒐 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅𝒔. Between golden apples, fairy curses, and a haunted castle, a disguised princess begins her journey towards the crown.** "Beware of apples made of golden light. Their sweetness knows no end-only a price for every immortal heart beats to the rhythm of a trade. For the otherworld gives no miracles out of mercy- only promises sealed with blood." - Morgana LeFay - Since Avalon was ravaged by flames and consumed by fog, the boundaries to the otherworld have become thin: trees sing ominous songs, rivers change their course, children disappear unseen from their beds, and the Aos Sídhe prepare for battle. The balance of all Albion seems to have been thrown off since the death of the High King. Grief and fear are spreading; blood and ashes cover the fields in this world and the beyond. While the maelstrom of war threatens to engulf the kingdom, Arianna, daughter of Uther Pendragon, grows up hidden and protected by her foster father Sir Ector, unable to remember her heritage, her burden and her destiny. However, when an engagement is set to seal her future, she quickly steals away in the guise of the young squire Arthur and secretly joins the entourage of her foster brother Cei. What begins as a journey to freedom leads brother and sister far from home into the clutches and intrigues of the otherworld when, beyond a heavy fog, they encounter an enchanted castle whose walls conceal a tree bearing golden apples... It soon becomes clear whether Arianna has the courage to claim her legacy, for one thing is certain: only a king can unite the warring lords. The mortals as well as the immortals.

Two explorers are sent to a planet that dies every night, to renew itself every day. They need to find out how that planet has blooming trees and flowers. To maybe find a way to create new flowers on their own planet. The time they have is very limited, since the planet is on the edge of dying again. But then they find other people.

She was never afraid of the fall-until the moment no one caught her. Kiera Lennox Lang has built her life on height, timing, and trust-until a split-second mistake during a rivalry game sends her crashing to the ground. Injured and shaken, she's forced to confront the one fear she's never had to face: what happens when her body can no longer do what it always has. The last person she expects to be there when it all goes wrong is Jensen Cade Beckett-the rival-school football player who once caught her before she fell, and the same one who carries her off the field when no one else moves. As Kiera fights her way back to cheer, fear clings harder than pain, and the future she's always counted on feels suddenly fragile. At the same time, Jensen begins to outgrow the reckless reputation that once defined him, haunted by the moment he couldn't stop watching-and couldn't walk away. Drawn together in the quiet spaces between recovery and regret, they discover that healing isn't about returning to who you were, but choosing who you become. Because some people don't just pass through your life-they leave footprints that never fade.

The king has been betrayed and his throne taken from him, locked away withno hope... So he thought unknown to him, the spirit did send hope in form of Princess Emeralda... "what are you doing so far, deep in the forest" startled Emeralda looked around but saw no one.. "down here....beside you....come closer...don't be afraid" the voice kept speaking And so Emeralda walked gently towards the voice , this act took all of her courage,but she kept going, slowly till she got to the flower, so sure the voice came from there, she looked into the flower, to her amazement she saw the most handsome moon face she has ever seen In awe of his beauty and shock of the situation she asked "what are you doing in there!".....

ONC '26 prompt 104. While wandering in the woods, you dismiss the rustling behind you as nothing more then the wind throught the trees until you turn around and realize it wasn't the wind at all (I tried my best) Story 4 Of The Chronicles of Frostfire Glade. Fourteen-year-old River was only looking for "ghost air" a rare acoustic resonance found in mountain caves. Instead, he tuned into a frequency that shouldn't exist: the rhythmic heartbeat of another world. ​When he steps into a shimmering cave and ends up in Frostfire Glade, he finds himself caught between a glowing city built on stolen secrets and a hidden village fighting to survive. Partnered with Adam, a prince who wears a crown he doesn't want and a scar he can't explain, River must use his field recorder to navigate a forest of metallic trees and echoes that kill. But the deeper they go, the more the static clears to reveal a haunting truth: Adam's dead brother might still be alive, the Queen's brother is tracking their every move. In the Hollow Reach, the truth isn't just spoken.... IT'S HEARD *I will also be posting this story on Inkitt*

Her return was supposed to be simple. Go inside, clear the house then file the rapport. Happy ending, she gets her career back. Except she gets greeted differently. And the longer she stays the harder it becomes to tell whether she is investigating the house or someone is investigating her. Based on prompt 82 "You are in love with someone living and someone long dead. Neither one is willing to let you go."

When Nena finally receives the mark of her soulmate, it turns out to be a countdown. The faster she walks towards the source of the countdown, the faster the clock ticks back. Her best friend tries to get her out of this situation, but Nena knows she can't ignore the future that's coming for her. And then she stands right in front of a demon...

The Kurczaka Travelling Inn has been in Meluza Dovhun's family for generations, an open door and empty room to all sorts of guests. Suffice to say, Mel has seen her fair share of the unusual, whether from working at the front desk or helping clean out rooms. Really, there's not a whole lot that could surprise her anymore. That is, until a human shows up at the hotel's doorstep, and Kurczak decides to saunter off before Mel can get him to leave. Now, Mel's only hope is to hide the human's presence and pray none of the gods and spirits (or even worse, her grandmother) take notice before she can get him home. (Plus, her sister keeps getting into trouble with the rusalki, her mother is falling into serious religious practices, and the guests are causing trouble left, right, and center.) ONC 2026 PROMPT #113 COVER BY: @AlexandraLing2000

"Hello and good whatever time of day it is! It's me, TinyOctopus, coming at you with fresh content." Cameron has heard those words dozens if not hundreds of times. The problem? He's in love with the gamer who goes by TinyOctopus but he's always known her as Brooke, his best friend since middle school. After a long day dealing with 'the customer is always right' he's content to curl up with a bowl of nachos and watch her play and dream that one day he'll have the courage to tell her how he feels. After one of the worst shifts of his life, Cameron falls asleep mid-stream. When he wakes up he's most definitely not at home and everyone in sight is strangely... obsessed with one person. Enter the farmer and with a sinking feeling Cameron knows exactly why this valley looks so familiar.