Mythicfantasy Stories

Title: The Ghost of Draven Hollow Summary: Kael Draven was born into peace, but raised in blood. The son of a village blacksmith and a gifted healer, his world ended the night mercenaries descended upon his home-burning it to ash, slaughtering his parents, and branding him as property. Taken in chains, he was cast into the depths of underground arenas where survival was earned through brutality alone. Years passed in steel and suffering, until the boy who once knew warmth was reforged into something far more dangerous-scarred, relentless, and unbroken. Now twenty-nine, Kael walks a fractured world that speaks his name in equal parts fear and reverence. Known as The Ghost of Draven Hollow, he is the last remnant of a forgotten village and a living weapon against the corrupt lords and mercenaries who prey upon the weak. His storm-grey eyes cut through deception, his blackened greatsword bears the legacy of his father's final forge, and his silence alone is enough to unnerve even the most hardened killers. Yet beneath the steel lies a wound that never healed. Haunted by the faces of those he could not save, Kael is a man at war with himself-unable to forgive, no matter how many lives he spares. Every battle is both justice and punishment, every scar a reminder of the night that defined him. To his enemies, he is a merciless predator. To his allies, an unbreakable shield. To himself, he is something far more uncertain-a man chasing redemption that may not exist. The Ghost of Draven Hollow is a dark and unflinching tale of vengeance, survival, and the cost of becoming a weapon. It explores the fragile line between hero and monster-and what remains of a man when everything else has been taken from him. Genre: Dark Fantasy, Grimdark Fantasy, Action-Adventure, Psychological Drama

A fairy-tale-esque short story, which deliberately adopts folklore-like writing, using personified cosmic forces to explore love as mutual illumination rather than possession. No placement, but this tale has gotten a 95/100 in the Triquetra Awards Short Story category!

Just a small anthology for me to place all of the short stories/one-chapter stories for contests.

The Ashen Loom tells of Seryphos, the Primordial God of Unraveling, born from the first silence. Feared by other deities for his power to undo creation, he dwells alone in the Veil of Ash, answering the forgotten prayers of mortals. When a child asks why he unravels existence, Seryphos reveals that endings are gifts, not destruction. Worshiped in secret as a bringer of release, his final act will be to unmake even himself-returning all things to perfect Nothingness.

The gods knew Ragnarök was inevitable. What lay uncertain was the new world that would rise from its ashes. In New Midgard, not everyone believed in the old gods. To unbelievers, they were just legend and nothing more. I knew better. It was only centuries later that unbelievers became believers when news of children possessing godly powers reached word to the Empire. Threatened by their abilities, King Starbringer passed a new law which forced others like me to go into hiding. After an encounter with the Empire's Guard, I am told to find the rest of the Twelve before the Empire can. But first, I need to return the Allcron Stone, a safeguard of the gods powers, to it's rightful place in the roots of Yggdrasil. The World Tree. The Empire won't stop searching until they have all Twelve of us. And we know that their mission will be futile without the Allcron Stone. Restoring it is our only hope.

Can a selkie mend his broken heart? After a car accident results in the loss of his family, memories, and empathy, Lee Kangmin finds himself trapped in a colorless world. Once considered a miraculous recovery case of retrograde amnesia, he is now one of the best neurologists in South Korea. Determined to maintain his strict routine and personal code of conduct, he is reluctant to open his heart out of fear it'll get crushed again. His desperation to maintain a shred of normalcy in his life peaks when he encounters Ariadne, whose presence forces his painful memories to break free. On the surface, she appears to be nothing more than a naive foreigner but what he doesn't know is that she's a mythical selkie from Scotland. Centuries of distrust between their races return as they learn to live with each other. Their love is tested by the gods, their people, and their past as the Llyr, the patron deity of the selkie, threaten to uproot their worlds as they know it. Together, they must reforge the broken bonds between their species in order to preserve their relationship and break the selkie's curse. • • • Word Count = 90,000-100,000 Title by @DahliasDesk; Cover by KatHuman Featured on reading list crafted by Community Curator: @KateLorraine

(Paused to finish Prime Suspect: Vampire) She notices what she shouldn't. He notices her anyways. In a quiet coastal village left off most maps, Kage has learned how to live between glances. She bakes bread before dawn, helps run a market stall by midday, and leaves offerings to the Old Gods out of habit rather than belief. She knows the world is larger than mortals are meant to understand, but like everyone else, she has learned that keeping your head down is safer than asking questions. Then the dreams begin. Strange, vivid dreams that leave her restless. Flickers of light she cannot explain. Moments that make her wonder if she is imagining things, or finally noticing what has always been there. When Kage is summoned to a neutral institute watched by powerful forces, she finds herself surrounded by heirs, warriors, and figures who seem certain of what they are meant to become. She is not. Among them is Kaleen, an heir of the sea who keeps his distance and watches her with open distrust. He is disciplined, guarded, and clearly aware of rules she does not yet understand. Where others dismiss her, he notices. Where she questions, he withdraws. Their interactions are restrained, uneasy, shaped by tension rather than trust. But proximity has a way of eroding certainty. As old powers stir and the balance of the world begins to strain, Kage must decide who she is willing to become, and whether the shadows she carries exist to hide her... or to protect something far more dangerous than she ever imagined. © Anne Starks. All rights reserved. Work in progress.

Alternative name: My unique emperor 2 It is 2nd part of my unique emperor . In order to receive love from her father, Mirai tried her hardest to live the life of a perfect, submissive daughter. She even married the monster, Zhou Keung. But she gradually fell in love with him. Her cousin killed her to save his love, Zhan Peng Peng. Mirai, recalling these things, returns to the past. Four years before her marriage. "Now that I have been given a life again, I will live it freely for myself! I will punish those who hurt me". Although she returns to the past, why did her husband's personality changed? He is a cruel tyrant in this life who can kill anyone who doesn't follow his orders. What is the relationship between them in their past lives? How could the female lead survive this time? I don't own the images.

He has no name, only a destiny-called the rainbow's child. She is the priestess of the lake, who sees the sorrow waiting for him. Their meeting is tender yet fleeting, like sunlight after rain. A poetic fantasy of forbidden love, fate, and the beauty of what cannot last.

Nylthar ven'zhar. Ven'zhar kul'thar. (Do not touch me. Touch me and burn.) She bears her scars like a curse, a fox demoness cloaked in night and whispered nightmares. Her words scorch the air - a warning, a promise, a poison. He is the reckless flame that dares to reach, drawn into a perilous embrace- where every stolen moment drips with desire and the scent of ruin. Beneath the cold gaze of an ancient shrine, secrets bleed into silence, and love twists into a cruel and beautiful torment- a fire that devours souls, binds fates, and threatens to annihilate all they hold dear. In this world of shadows and whispered damnation, their forbidden love is the darkest flame of all.

Set in the mythical past of the ancient far east, a humble day laborer-turned-assassin tries to endure a night of suffering in the smouldering ruins of his destroyed town.

In a world shrouded by darkness and whispers, a fallen king wanders through desolation, burdened by power he no longer understands. Haunted by shadows of the past and the eerie remnants of a corrupted realm, he stumbles upon a place that seems alive-breathing, watching, waiting. Every step pulls him deeper into a labyrinth of fear, memory, and questions he cannot answer. In this house where light falters and secrets linger, nothing is as it seems... and survival may demand more than courage alone.

www.pigironbooks.com An Ironclad Yarn of Mythic Fantasy The Great Northern Forest has known peace for a spell, but far beyond the brambles, something stirs. In The Pale Citadel, the dread sorceress known only as The Gray is sharpening her claws. Big Hat Bill was just a humble Raccoon magicker until he crossed paths with Pigiron, the towering, iron-armored Hog of Floretian legend, and his companion Opaline, Queen of Corvids. Now Bill, along with his best friend Willowstitch, a sharp-eyed Fox archer, is bound for the Sunflower Isle, fabled home of Faelumin, god of magic. I reckon it won't be easy. Across the beautiful and perilous Great Northern Forest, our unlikely heroes will face monsters, marvels, and the slow unraveling of everything they thought was true. Their mettle and their metal will be tested as they forge new bonds and reckon with the true cost of adventure: triumph, sorrow, and the reopening of old wounds. Pigiron is a whimsical and dark fantasy epic, perfect for fans of Redwall, The Dark Crystal, and Conan the Barbarian. www.pigironbooks.com

In a world once sung into being, only silence endures Long after the divine Siblings abandoned their creation, only echoes remain-ruined villages, broken memories, and wanderers who still listen for the fading melody of life. From forgotten valleys to cities of dust, the last remnants of humankind rediscover the lost harmony that once gave them life. Authors Note: Updates will be rather irregular, as this is a side project I work on between other responsibilities. This story is just a side project of mine. I'll be uploading chapters whenever I find time to polish them up for reading. It also happens to be the first thing I've ever written so any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to be here on this journey with me.

**THIS IS A FIRST DRAFT PREVIEW ONLY** (Part of The Spectrum Chronicles, companion series to the Whispers of Nowhere trilogy). There are those who have lived for millennia, who have seen mankind and the world around them go through all manner of change: The ingenuity of invention, of artistry and architecture, the rise and fall of empires... Forneus has seen all this and more. A concentrated mass of ether given conscious form, Forneus is gifted with much: Power. Magic. Near-immortality. Gifts bestowed upon all daemon kind, entities serving as intermediaries between gods and man-a role which Forneus has faithfully carried out over the centuries. From a precocious child who once sought out all manner of mischief, to the guardian who protected a young girl and her world from oblivion, Forneus has experienced much in over nine-hundred years of life, has fought more battles than he can count. Now a new threat is on the rise, one that endangers the Spectrum itself-and one Forneus has been to chosen to lead the assault against. But before he can do that, he must first learn the truth about these attacks, must heed the warnings from an old comrade he has long thought dead for many centuries... And one whom just might hold the key to the Spectrum's salvation.

When Sylva stumbles into a sacred forest clearing on the night of an ancient pack rite, her suppressed plant magic awakens with violent clarity. As the land itself intervenes, those present are forced to choose restraint over instinct and witnessing over control. Unclaimed is a standalone mythic vignette about power that cannot be owned, and the quiet strength of being left untouched.

Haunted by recurring dreams of faceless figures and mysterious symbols, five lives become entwined by fate. What begins as a search for meaning behind their shared visions sweeps them into the heart of Myre-a hidden realm where perilous magic, legendary beasts, and forgotten secrets stir beneath the surface. In a world just out of sight from ordinary eyes, they learn a truth that will change everything: their friendship is no accident, and their bloodlines hold the key to an age-old prophecy. As dark forces rise and the fabric between worlds grows thin, the group must choose whether to accept the destinies written in their veins or let the secrets of Myre vanish forever. From mist-shrouded streets to sky-soaring wonders and secretive societies, their journey will test the limits of trust, courage, and the bonds that hold them together. The fate of both worlds rests in the dreams of the chosen. But will awakening reveal hope-or darkness?

**NOTE: THIS IS A FIRST DRAFT PREVIEW ONLY** Giving in to his impulse to reclaim his long-lost youth, Chronos-Father of Time, whom has existed since it began-turns back the hands of time. In doing so, he tears the very fabric of reality apart. In a last-ditch effort to set things right, Chronos perishes, and with his death, reality is threatened once again. Now it is up to the High Council of Deities to select a new Timekeeper; someone strong and powerful enough to regulate the flow of Time and all that it governs. It isn't a god or any other immortal being who will be tasked with this eternal mantle, however, but a human. And to further complicate matters, the Timepiece Chronos leaves behind doesn't select just one human candidate, but five-split between Earth and the twin world born from Chronos' actions, Geminus. Lucas Chaumont, the son of a nobleman, desperate to save his sister from a mysterious ailment. Gwilym Lauderdale, a poor farmer's son constantly bullied and mired in self-doubt. James Coleman, a Brooklyn-born Irish boy forever suffering the scorn of his upper-class schoolmates. Rosa Gaspare, a seemingly well-off girl whose only desire is to escape her abusive, drunken father. And Vani Khanna, a Punjabi girl set on asserting her independence in a time when marriage is being pressed upon her by her loving, yet misguided parents. All five candidates must prove their mettle in a series of tests known as the Timekeeper Trials, but more than that, they must either come to terms with their limitations or learn to overcome them. Who among them will earn their place as Chronos' successor-and what will become of those who don't? (Part of The Spectrum Chronicles, companion series to the Whispers of Nowhere trilogy.)

The Ember-Beard (A Menarra Tale) Brenn wakes in a world he doesn't remember. The wagons of the Menarra tribe are already moving, tents falling, wheels groaning, voices calling him to hurry. He knows their names, their rituals, their fire circles, yet when he reaches for his past, he finds only hollow silence. Even stranger, a beard he never could grow now clings to his jaw, carefully tended, beaded like it has always belonged there. Whispers rise as the tribe prepares for the sacred Flame of Tending Ceremony, a ritual that binds their fire to their future. Brenn is expected to carry an ember into the circle. But each spark he touches shows him flashes of a life that may not be his own. Is he who they believe him to be, or something else entirely? The Ember-Beard is a tale of Becoming, where memory and identity blur, and the choice of who we tend to be matters more than the past we've lost. Step into the firelight of the Inner Realms, and discover whether Brenn will find belonging or be left to wander alone in the dark.

In the mountain-carved colosseum of the Aegis Sanctum, four young contenders step into a proving ground where strength is measured without mercy. Jack commands the wind with reckless confidence, Michael towers as an earth-armored giant, and Aeris Thalwen hovers above the stone, her spirit energy shimmering like fragile light. But when Akarion Thar'Kael enters-calm, centered, and impossibly composed-the arena itself seems to adjust to him. What follows is not merely a battle of power, but a revelation of mastery, as brute force and speed collapse against perfect alignment and restraint. One by one, the challengers fall-not to overwhelming violence, but to precision and control. In the end, only Aeris remains, pushing past exhaustion to stand against a force that does not rage, but measures. This is a story about the difference between having power... and truly mastering it.