Onc2026 Stories

"The stars are disappearing but their whispers haunt me in my dreams." Young Thalassa is born the heir of one of the nine noble families of Midgard. During her studies she discovers a forgotten civilization. Fascinated by it, she sets off to find the old temple of the god of mischief but what she doesn't expect is the touch of deity that uproots her whole life. Suddenly, she hears whispers calling for help - and she has no idea where they come from. As she sets off to save the world, a young girl full of stories about stars finds a way into her heart. But the world is cruel and Thalassa promised she would stay kind no matter the crisis - just when it comes to her heart, she soon can't differentiate between hero and villain as both carry certain character traits one would desire. Will she be able to keep a clear mind or will her heart take over? And isn't following the call of one's heart exactly what villains usually do? ✎ 𝗐𝗈𝗋𝖽 𝖼𝗈𝗎𝗇𝗍: ~10,8k written | ~3k published ☞ 𝗌𝗍𝖺𝗋𝗍: 1.2.2026 ☞ first chapter online: 8/13/2026 ☞ 𝖾𝗇𝖽: - © 2026 saphiwrites - all rights reserved

|ONC 2026 SAMPLE| Sparks fly when Riley, a human, and Brenda, a ghost, meet while investigating the Cold Case Murder of Banyan and are dragged into the adventure of a lifetime. *** Thirteen-year-old Riley doesn't believe in ghosts-not until he meets Brenda, the victim of the Cold Case Murder of Banyan from the 1970s. People claim someone strangled her and dropped her body into a well, while others believe she strangled herself with her tights, accidentally or deliberately. Drawn in by Brenda, Riley learns how to trap her spirit into a stuffed animal via his father's YouTube channel and takes her from her house for the first time in fifty years, where he learns the truth behind her and his mother's mysterious disappearance when he was born, leading to an encounter with the Banyan Serial Killer. Now, he and Brenda must work together to prevent him from escaping into the Human World and destroying everything Riley loves, including his newfound attraction for Brenda, his first real friend. Will Riley and Brenda's love save their worlds, or will the serial killer continue his kill streak even as a demon? Most importantly, will Brenda ever rest in peace? *** Inkspired Review (5/5): "I love the story; it's scary, with great characters and interesting. I would love to know what happens next. Please keep writing!*

Chronicle of Nadhjra & Other Untold Stories Some legends are too small to become entire novels... Yet too important to be forgotten. Journey beyond the main saga of Infinite Fighters into a collection of hidden chronicles, forgotten origins, secret experiments, legendary weapons, ancient kingdoms, and untold adventures that shaped the world of Seona long before - and long after - the events of the main story. Discover how Karl Adrian took his first steps toward the impossible dream that would one day become Hyperstring Quantum Technology. Uncover forgotten histories surrounding Kael Adravion, Zedwan, Lysa, and many other heroes whose stories were never fully told. Every chapter reveals another piece of Seona's vast history... Some are legends. Some are memories. Some are secrets that were never meant to be discovered. Welcome to the hidden chronicles of Infinite Fighters untold stories. Also witness the immortal will of Nadhjra, the mysterious weapon that has lived through countless forms. A will that has lived countless lives, surviving every vessel and every war. From spear to katana, from shadows to legend, Nadhjra chooses only those worthy to wield her. A tales of silent endurance, judgment, and the last guardian who learns the meaning of true worth. Will she choose you?

[ONC 2026 ROUND 2 AND 3 AMBASSADOR'S PICK, SHORTLISTED] 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙪𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙚𝙩, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙧 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙. ••• Arthur Pendergast is a man who walks with the weight of generations in his shadow. As a Black man navigating the sharp corners of London, he's used to being watched, but as a necromancer, he's the one doing the observing. To pass a rainy Tuesday, he decides to sit in on a fake séance hosted by a local "spiritualist" in a drafty Victorian parlour. He expects cheap parlour tricks, hidden magnets, and the predictable scent of stale incense. And Madame Valeska is pro at it all. But as the candles flicker and Valeska begins her practiced wail, the air in the room turns unnervingly cold. Arthur quickly begins to realize that nothing is quite what it seems. The fraud in the velvet shawl isn't the only one hiding a secret, and the knocking on the table isn't coming from her foot-it's coming from somewhere much deeper. In this dark corner of the city, Arthur is forced to remember a chilling truth: monsters don't live under our beds; they live in the recesses of our minds. And tonight, one of those monsters is finally finding its way out. WC: 20,000 + CC: Inky

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" Once becoming a hero, never give up what's your potential" Yuna Suzuki, an ordinary girl who lives in a cities in Japan, every spring a flower blooms; until everything changed when an unfamiliar flower bloomed which created a portal to another world, She expected to die, but instead she was in a world where There's a power called a Quirk, which she didn't know, until she met a curly green haired with freckles name Izuku Midoriya, who was once Quirkless, until he inherited the One For All, what she didn't know that the world she entered, her quirk is to control can fire . She learnt that going to U.A will help her become a hero she always dreamt about. What happens when Suzuki faces real villains? Will She and Class 1A defeat them? Will she achieve her dreams and goals? (prompt 2 The first flower to bloom in spring isn't just a sign of the season changing. It's a portal. When you touch it, you're transported into a magical world you never knew existed. prompt 9 There's a knock on your door, and when you open it, your favorite animated character is standing there.) Made it in the longlist for the ONC

After the War of the Fractured Crowns, the kingdoms built Aurevane Academy; a gilded institution where royal heirs are trained in warfare, diplomacy, and control. No ruler would ever rise uncontested again. Athelia Payton Verdanor was never meant to attend. Hidden from the world as the secret daughter of a forgotten throne, she arrives as the first female heir in five decades, determined to reclaim what was stolen from her kingdom. Standing in her path are two princes: Lionel Lysander, the golden Light Prince beloved by all. And Mythias Vindex, the feared Dark Prince sworn as her enemy. Beneath Aurevane Academy lies a forbidden relic, when Athelia and Mythias destroy it, an ancient curse binds them. Their wounds mirror. Their fates entwine. The only way to break it? A true love's kiss. A cruel joke considering their souls are carved with the same vow: Better dead than yours. With kingdoms preparing for ascension and betrayal brewing in every corridor, Athelia must decide... End the curse. Or take the crown. Because in Aurevane, power is forged in gold. And love? Love might be the most dangerous weapon of all...

|ONC 2026 · ORIGINAL NOVELLA #1| A gifted teen embarks on a journey to join two tribes during the Last Age, as they search for the mystical Bering Land Bridge. *** Fifteen-year-old Khochu, the only surviving child of Vika and Sasha, wants only one thing: to find a place where humans and animals can live in peace from the bitter Ice Age--a place he has dreamed about for years--and prove his sickly family's strength. However, his life changes when he's chosen to begin his rite of passage early and meets Nikita, a cannibal girl from a neighboring tribe, who is also struggling to find food in the icy world. As the two begin to bond and explore Khochu's unique gift of animal whispering, Khochu learns he is the key to everything: a door that forces the rival tribes together across the icy steppes. As they search for a new life, Khochu and his animal friends must use their gifts to protect the tribes from predators. Still, the connection between Khochu and Nikita begins to interfere with Khochu's test, which is not good for a boy trying to prove that the Bering Land Bridge isn't a myth. Is growing up really this difficult? *** *ONC 2026 Prompt used: Number 61 - "They say every door has its own key. Except for one, a key said to open them all."

**Longlisted in the ONC 2026** **Longlisted in The Nano Watt 2026** For the past twelve years, Walter has not been alone. That is, inside his head. He calls it his monster. Often, it unleashes itself and takes control of him. He usually wakes up surrounded by blood or bodies, sometimes both. When the monster grows quiet in his brain for a time, Walter dares to hope that he might be getting better. This leads him to make arrangements to reconnect with his childhood best friend, Emerald, by hiring her as his own private chef. There is just one problem. His monster is not gone. He never left. In fact, he now seems quite eager to emerge from the shadows and make Emerald's acquaintance. Officially copyrighted 2026

*ONC '26 Long List* 🏆 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

SHORTLISTED! Jareth Coppersmith and Pol Flynt have one thing in common. They kill for a living. One works for GAME, the powerful Guild of Airship Mechanics and Engineers and the other, for the Royal Spymaster. But what happens when they are unknowingly sent on the same secret mission? At best they are rivals, at worst, mortal enemies. SciFi / Thriller/ Steampunk/ LGBT

When her office burns down an editor must work together with the most infuriating man alive or risk the promotion she's been working her entire career for. **** Chielozonam 'Elo' Williams is doing great. All things considered. It doesn't matter that the job she loves as editor at PerfectRomance, the publishing imprint she's been working at for the past five years has started to feel more like a chore these days. It doesn't matter that her judgemental father might be right about her wasting her life away by not using her full potential. What really matters is getting her dream promotion and enjoying the prime years of her youth. That is until the unthinkable happens. After Elo's office building burns down overnight she's forced to share an office with the one person that makes her blood boil: Connor Price. Archenemies since their days at college Connor makes getting under her skin an art form. He's brash and rude and irritates her like nobody else can with his scathing looks and contemptible behavior. It's not long before they're locked in a battle of wits, neither willing to back down or give up. When they have to work together to acquire a potentially lucrative manuscript, they are forced to put aside their long-standing animosity for an adventure that will blur the line between hate and desire until neither of them can tell where the fighting ends and the falling begins. PEOPLE WE MEET ON VACATION meets ANYONE BUT YOU meets THE HATING GAME in this contemporary rom-com about resilience, self-discovery and two sworn enemies who can't tell the difference between wanting to kiss or kill each other. Beautiful cover made by @ToWolfKin THIS NOVEL IS ONLY AVAILABLE ON WATTPAD AND INKITT. IF YOU ARE READING THIS ANYWHERE ELSE, PLEASE INFORM THE AUTHOR VIA WATTPAD, AS YOU MAY BE READING FROM A MIRROR SITE WHERE IT HAS BEEN PLAGIARIZED AND YOUR DEVICE MAY BE SUBJECTED TO A MALWARE ATTACK.

|ONC 2026| SHORT LIST AMBASSADOR'S PICK - ROUND 2 ------------------------------------------------------ When Terra is doomed, humanity's final hope is sent into the unknown aboard a vessel meant to carry life beyond extinction. But humanity's future falls to those who were never meant to hold it. Unintentionally trapped aboard the ship, Derrin Muely becomes a silent witness to the unraveling of humanity's last survivors, forced to watch as fear, ambition, and control drive them to destroy one another. Left alone in the vast quiet of space, Derrin turns inward. Through fragments of memory and reflection, he confronts a life spent searching for purpose, measuring his worth, and fearing failure, only to find that meaning may never have been something to discover at all. At the edge of existence, with no one left to see him, Derrin must face a final question: If life has no audience, no legacy, and no greater purpose, what does it mean to keep living?

Almost good. Almost talented. Almost enough.

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!

William Grombo is a librarian who tries to forget the fact that he has super powers, but then he meets Kaya Ravens, who is just as obsessed with super heroes as he once was. But like William, Kaya hides a secret she doesn't want anyone to know.

HE JUST DOESN'T KNOW WHEN TO STOP After falling asleep to a video of the "nihilist penguin", Lian Min wakes at 3 a.m. to wet footprints and melting snow in his studio apartment in a country of perennial summer. On tracing the footprints to the corridor, he discovers a world in stasis where he is the only one who can still move. That's the least of his worries, however. Various flowers begin sprouting in his living room and the footprints change trails without warning, leading him to discover things about his neighbourhood that he never knew and perhaps should not know. Then the trail goes cold.

Ian has always had very vivid dreams that feel like memories. Seeing people she's never met before and even places she has never been to before. Her therapist told her that there are just dreams and not memories. She performances hypnosis to help her shut out her memories. But not all dreams have disappeared. The moment she arrives in a town called "Zoey." Upon her arrival, she continues to be mistaken for Anna. But the question is: Who is Anna?

1ST DRAFT! 🥳 UNDERGOING HEAVY EDITING Life's a mess. She's a mess. Claire gets fired from her coffee shop job, has her designs called 'trash' by the rude prick who was supposed to sponsor her first fashion collection... And then, her best friend, the love of her life, announces his sudden engagement and wedding next month in Hawaii. And guess who gets to be maid of honor? This is the last fucking straw. This book contains: Cussing & an absolute disaster of a protagonist. You have been warned.

A reimagining of the enchanted fairytale we all know as Sleeping Beauty, in which the evil fairy has a son. ~ The unseelie fae know many stories. Their favourite is that of their mistress's son, Draco. The unseelie prince of thorns. With his vivid eyes and small horns, his brave, kind heart and his unexpected adventures. For when his mother, known as a witch amongst the humans, cast a spell only to be broken by true love's kiss, no one would've expected that Draco would be able to break the curse. No one expected him to love a human princess. No one expected Briar Rose to love him. However, it is for this very reason that the unseelie fae love the story of Draco and how he came to love Briar Rose. How the two of them reunited a realm torn apart, the humans and the fair folk. And how they brought peace and joy amongst their people, creating a story lost with generations to come. ~ Wattpad ONC 2026 LONGLISTER