Onc2025 Stories

After six years in a progressive French boarding school, eighteen-year-old Lady Alice returns to her family's estate in Surrey, dreading the fate that awaits her-- debutante balls, an arranged marriage, and a life she does not want. She would have preferred to stay in France, teaching and writing love tales rather than living one dictated by others. Once cast aside by her own father and a stepmother, Alice finds their sudden desire for reconciliation hollow. Only her childhood best friend, Michael, Marquess Lovelace, seems like a true comfort. But as she settles back into her former home, something strange begins to happen. A black rabbit, eerily familiar, appears in the shadows-- just like the one that belonged to Edmond, her long-forgotten imaginary friend. And then she meets Count D'Arcy, the enigmatic and elusive neighbour whose presence unsettles her. His eyes, his voice, his very being remind her of Edmond. Could it be him? Or is her mind playing tricks on her? As the social season unfolds, Alice finds herself tangled in a web of mystery, romance, and the supernatural. The past and present blur, forcing her to question what is real, what is illusion, and whether love can exist beyond the bounds of reason. In the haunting halls of her childhood home and under the watchful gaze of Count D'Arcy, Alice must uncover the truth before she loses herself to the unknown. ~~~ My entry for the ONC 2025 based on the prompt 105: Your childhood imaginary friend, who disappeared years ago, suddenly returns - only this time, they're real.

---ONC 2025--- Princess Selene has lived her life within the safe confines of her kingdom's walls, her destiny sealed by an arranged marriage to the Demon King of a neighboring realm. The union, meant to prevent war and bloodshed, is her duty-but it's one she never wished for. Accompanied by Rael, the Demon King's cold and enigmatic royal guard, Selene embarks on a dangerous journey to the kingdom of Varethia. For the first time, she steps outside the palace's gilded shadow, her youthful optimism clashing with the harsh realities of the world beyond--where treachery, deception, and violence lurk at every turn. As they travel across wild lands and face threats both seen and unseen, Selene begins to see Rael in a new light. Their growing connection forces her to confront an impossible choice: honor her duty to her kingdom or follow the unexpected emotions blooming in her heart. Will she take the chance to choose her own fate and risk the lives of others, or will she fulfill her duty and sacrifice her heart for the sake of peace? Prompts: 20 days of freedom Falling in love with a demon was not on your wishlist

When Rosalin arrives in the imperial capital, Livia, she carries with her a burden of secrets. Her purpose is not what she says aloud. But Rosalin is not the only one shrouded in lies: there is no sign of Empress Cassyna's twin sister, Servina, and everyone speaks of her as if she is a ghost. What Rosalin hoped would be a journey to save her and her family's lives turns into a game of power and peril. A feud between two rival siblings is written in Livian history and myth, but this is no tale of goddesses in heaven. This will endanger the whole empire. [ONC 2025 - PROMPT 66]

🏆ONC 2025 HONORABLE MENTION 🏆 A lone lighthouse keeper watches over the coast, tending to her light as the sea rages beyond. The storms are nothing new-neither is the solitude. She is content with the quiet rhythm of her life, the crash of waves against the cliffs, the scent of salt and parchment filling her days. But when a shipwreck leaves a battered stranger at her doorstep, the tide of her world begins to shift. The man is rough-edged, a relic of salt and shadow, with secrets hidden beneath his scars. He speaks of a past that the waves should have swallowed, of maps inked in the margins of forbidden books, of love letters lost to time. Trapped together by a storm that refuses to pass, they share stories by lantern light-one seeking refuge, the other searching for something long forgotten. Yet not all ghosts are content to stay buried, and not all storms end when the sky clears. Whispers of war linger in the distance, and the truth he carries may threaten the safe harbor she has built for herself. As the past and present begin to intertwine, she must decide-will she cling to the safety of her lighthouse, or will she risk everything to follow the reflection of something new? -- Cover by @Heuristic_Hashmath

In Maisse, profit is king. A beating heart of trade and commerce, it is home to boundless wealth and endless opportunity. But, not all are so lucky. Blanche is a member of the Covenant, an elite crime syndicate of thieves, spies, and murderers for hire. After years in her indenture, she is no stranger to the streets -- or to death. She has infiltrated the enclaves of Maisse's wealthy, carrying out hits at the request of highborn clients. Quick, discreet, and perfectly anonymous. Once, however, Blanche had sang in the finest theatres on the continent, renowned for her prowess as an opera singer. But, as is the nature of a society driven by blood and gold, that life is no more. Desperately, she clings to the idea of returning to the stage: an easy existence, far from the world she has become so accustomed to. Blanche would do anything to go back. However, a dangerous job from a mysterious client throws her into a world that is darker than she could have ever imagined, and, suddenly, everything she knows is at stake. Blanche is forced to choose: just how far is she willing to go? ONC Prompt #52: Let's play a game of colours: you'll paint me red because you love me, and I'll paint you black because I want you gone.

[ONC 2025 Shortlister] * * * And so you see, you couldn't really say I hadn't been warned. You couldn't say I didn't know what lurked out there amongst the trees. Because I did. I had been told. I had been warned. But I didn't believe. I didn't listen... * * * Fern lives on the edge of a wood, about which many myths, legends and folk tales are told. But when one of these stories appears to come to life before her eyes, she has a decision to make. To believe or not to believe. But such decisions are never as easy as they first seem... * * * The Demon of the Woods has been written for ONC 2025.

Full description coming soon. ~~~~~~~ Based on ONC2025 prompt #7: You've always suspected that the stray cat in your area is more than it seems. Now you're determined to catch it shapeshifting and prove it's a shapeshifter. But the closer you get, the more questions arise.

28. On a beach vacation, you dive into the water, but it turns purple and suddenly you're pulled under the sand. What's waiting for you beneath the surface? 34. Your new job requires an out of town overnight orientation, but when you check in, you run into someone from your past that you never thought you'd see again. Casey (Cas) Galanis doesn't know whether to say she is a burn victim, or was, as it had been over a decade. While her body bore the evidence of her past, she was more than ready to leave every bit of the trauma from recovery and society behind her. Unfortunately, anyone back home that was still cruel about her looks wasn't going to change. They didn't want to see her as capable of caring for herself. The lowest point was her sister refusing to have her in her wedding photos, citing aesthetics. The out she found was in the hospitality industry, specifically an older, privately owned hotel. True, people would continue to be cruel to her. Even if they brought up her looks, they would be more concerned that their room was clean, the TV worked, the pool was warm, and they made it in time for the complimentary breakfast. And most of that, as a maid, wouldn't be her problem. That, and it came with a room that they couldn't be rented out. Which was odd for a hotel a short walk from the beach. The first hurdle would be the Tuesday night orientation. The second would be if she could learn to love the beach and all it's exposure. But there would be more surprises in store-the doctor who helped heal her and the dead Egyptian god who consumed any free time she had. Because of the possibilities in two men, life wasn't lonely anymore. Cover Art: Photo by Austin J. Best from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-smoking-1205388/ Other elements are Wikicommons, mods are mine.

León Cervantes es soñador, muy alegre y hasta (sus amigos aseguran) el alma de la fiesta. Entre sus ensoñaciones está encontrar el amor después de una terrible ruptura. Diego Rosales no cree en el amor a primera vista, de hecho, no cree en el amor en general y le ha costado hacerse a una relación estable por temor a que rompan su corazón. Cuando Diego y León intercambian miradas en el carrusel de Playland, el mejor parque de diversiones de la ciudad, ambos sienten una ligera conexión y el deseo de intercambiar palabras. A lo largo del día buscarán la forma de hablar, sin embargo, cada uno va con su grupo de amigos y la misión de conocerse se hace más complicada. ¿Podrán al final de la tarde encontrarse? _________________ Historia creada para el Open Novella Contest 2025. Disparador #70 Hermosa Portada creada por Lewis_Potter87

*Borusara AU* Boruto is the next in line to the Uzumaki Empire but with his new mission to get a wife in 60 minutes seems impossible, until he bumps into his high school enemy, Sarada Uchiha - now a famous celebrity. Famous actress meets Mafia Don...?

Planning to return to this in January 2026! 𝑺𝒂𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑽𝒂𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒆'𝒔 𝑫𝒂𝒚 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆, 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒉𝒂𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒕 𝒃𝒆? The last thing Lennon Carter expects to see near her florist shop, Little Bud's, is a pyromaniac burning roses, who happens to be Cupid himself. Skeptical when learning that the pyro embodiment of love doesn't believe in love himself, he issues her a challenge. Make him believe in love before the clock strikes midnight on Valentine's Day. Or all the love in the world will disappear, right along with the arrows he shot.

Grace and Chloe promise to be best friends forever until a tragic accident upends their lives, leaving Chloe on her own and struggling with the loss of the one person she loves more than anyone else. One day, when the grief is too much to bear, Grace appears before Chloe, only it's not a dream. She has one simple request: for them to complete Grace's bucket list. What ensues is an adventure full of laughs, love and sorrow. Their friendship is tested beyond death, as hard emotions and secrets are revealed. *** This story is for the Open Novella Contest. Prompt #8: Every day, your best friend's ghost appears and insists that you help them complete their bucket list. Are they real or just a figment of your imagination? Either way, their presence can no longer be ignored.

[ONC 2025 Shortlister] An apprentice silversmith, haunted by his reflection. A wealthy family, falling to ruin. A patron spirit, searching for a pact. Five games will decide their fate. After acquiring great wealth from a boom in silver trade, the Blackwood family moves into a mansion that was mysteriously abandoned by its previous owners. The property has everything a family of established silversmiths could need: prime trade location, a smithing workshop, and a large mirror that was left behind. To Kyren Blackwood, the promises of a new life and the riches that come with it are more than enough to overshadow the eerie tale. But the mirror watches. Reflections are not what they seem. Driven to the brink of insanity, Kyren must uncover the mirror's secrets before his family loses everything. In a desperate attempt to free himself, he agrees to play five games with the spectre in the mirror. If he can win three, the curse will end. Lose, and he surrenders his soul to the silver spirit. ~An ONC novella, inspired by prompts 13 and 55. ~Set in the same world as Buried in the Sea but can be read completely independently (with no spoilers to one or the other).

After a horrible accident that kills their parents, two young brothers Jesse and David are separated. 10 Years later, they find each other and start to reconnect. But with a traumatic past weighing on them and another accident threatening to separate them for good, it is up to the brothers to fight against the odds and their own demons for a chance to stay together. Written for the ONC 2025 contest prompts 'A single night can change everything. Even someone you thought you knew- like your closest friend' and '20 days of freedom'.

Lost in The Library of All Things Never Written, Draven searches day and night for his own deleted story before it's forgotten, and he fades out of existence. The task would be far easier without Solomon, the ghost librarian, constantly reminding Draven the inevitable fate of deleted characters. Sol is convinced that only Draven's stubbornness has kept him stranded in the library for the past week. But when the hero of Draven's story breaks into the library to vanquish his escaped villain, Draven flees to the real-world dragging Solomon with him. Draven and Sol must find the author who abandoned Draven's story and convince her to complete it, before she forgets about Draven, or her hero wreaks havoc to the library in search of a villain to defeat. **Open Novella Contest 2025 Entry based on prompt 40** NEW CHAPTERS EVERY SUNDAY

Magdalena "Maggie" Buroston is a powerful witch with equally powerful magic that allows her to see tbe laws of the universe. When an ancient archive is discovered by an unsuspecting group of Dwarf archaeologists, Maggie is sent to the site by the Supreme Court of Magical Activity in hopes of unearthing something beneficial to the magical community's law and order. But no one expects the Darkness to rise. Cover created in PicCollage and Image generated by Canva

Killanaus, a second-year biology student at an alien university on Xorrak, is down to one last chance to obtain research experience in the summer prior to graduation. However, Lokath, his would-be research advisor for the summer, harbors concerns about the student. As he enters the troubled waters leading to graduation, he and his advisor are about to raise questions on their system of abduction licensure. This book is written using prompts #110, 111 and 128 for the 2025 Open Novella Contest #1 in license (February 23, 2025) #1 in admissions (March 17, 2025) Ambassador pick (August 25, 2025) 2025 ONC Round 1 qualifier 2025 ONC Round 2 qualifier 2025 January-February 8-Chapter Challenge Winner 2025 ONC Long List 2025 ONC Short List