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The world had long since forgotten the age of dragons, those creatures that had once ruled the skies as gods had long since disappeared after the conclusion of the Great Demon Wars. Dragons became nothing more than a fading legend, a story to tell children at bedtime. But the gods could not let the dragons die, for they were the last defense against the demon armies and the dark god Vekkar. Talia had been born and raised in a world of darkness acting as an agent of Hephatus, goddess of assassins and death. She knew only a life of killing, sometimes for justice, sometimes for honor, always for money. Her morals were opaque at best. But when she's deployed to the city of Arboros she finds herself thrust into a world of political games, opposing powers, and constant threat. Nowhere was safe even for her. Her goals became muddied, and then lost altogether when she meets the Dwarven Prince. Bromyr had spent the last five years of his life chasing ghosts, desperate to find the lost dragon eggs. His people thought him crazy, his father stripped him of his titles, but he never gave up. Eventually his effort bore fruit and he hastily made way to return to his homeland only to get caught up in the city of Arboros. It was there that he met an intriguing half-giant, a woman who ignited a fire everywhere she went. In the end she was the one who inadvertently brought about the new age of dragons. What could go wrong when an ill tempered assassin becomes the first dragon rider of a new age? ***Cover made by annie1loves1you***

The world’s old Gods lie dormant, imprisoned for centuries in a timeless rift. For many years they have accepted the fate of their actions, yet the people who still roam freely have not. A small sect of fanatical magicians, led by Bellack, a sinister and heartless spell weaver have not forgotten the powers that the old Gods once possessed and seek to secure their God Queen’s release to gain both her love and immortality. With the discovery of a large crystal deep in the Tanarian mines, the sect believes it has found a catalyst for their powers to break free their Queen. They will stop at nothing to acquire the crystal and, after their offers are refused, drag nations to war for their dark aim. Using their magic to tip the scales of war in their favour they force an order of Generals, the Su-Katii warrior elite to their will, as they alone will hold the key to victory in this war. Only Barrad a new initiate to the Su-Katii luckily escapes the brotherhoods control. The stage is set, but Tamar a renegade wizard, has subtly been working for years against their cruel plan. He recruits Barrad and an escaped slave Tress to aid his cause, she is a highly resourceful and accomplished thief with the ability to destroy the brotherhood’s dreams. Bellack’s magic unwittingly reveals a new possibility to achieve his goal – Athene, a sweet young girl oblivious to her past and the power that surrounds her. Realising her potential, Bellack unleashes an unstoppable warrior from a forgotten time to hunt down and apprehend Athene. Following their hearts, an unusual alliance is formed to struggle against the forces tearing their world apart. An enemy can be a friend, and a friend, an enemy.

Set in the early 1950s, Seraphina Rhiannon Delacrésidie will never know peace if Kazimir Vilen Zavrasta exists. Her twin flame. She is the next leader of House Delacrésidie, Chieftain of the Airthevigne tribal society, Chief of the Order of the Cross, and Empress of the Aerthezias Empire. While he is the next leader of House Zavrasta, Chieftain of the Zhalrido tribal society, and Emperor of the Aphallon Empire. The rival house and tribe that House Delacrésidie and the Airthevigne have had a long-standing feud with for centuries already. Their connection must remain a secret since the cessation of hostilities between their clans is lacking in strength and solidity. Kazimir and Seraphina secretly agree to hold the peace between the clans to prevent a war that will leave no one unscathed, which also means that they can never be together. For years, they pretended as if they never existed to one another, but how long would such pretentiousness last when even the fates kept pulling their strings that only led to each other's paths and the longing, and the desire finally became completely unbearable to ignore? And what will happen when one fatal accident happens, and they soon find themselves stuck in a different world? A place where they do not have to pretend that they do not exist to one another anymore. And what is Seraphina going to do once she learns that Kazimir is just as dark as the power he wields and a threat to everything that she believes in and fights for? What is she going to do if it is Kazimir that is the reason the universe will never know peace?

Character Description and Aesthetic Contest prompts: •Fantasy: In a kingdom of elemental magic, you gain the ability to control all four elements through an ancient artifact. But this newfound power comes with a price. •LowFantasy: Deep within your soul resides an insatiable desire, craving to possess the very essence of a mythical stone revealed in your slumber. Will you dare to seize it and unveil the extraordinary power it holds? •HighFantasy: After tumbling through a portal into an unknown realm, you find a dragon trapped in a strange form, desperate to return home. •MythandLegend: You receive a box from a mysterious stranger who tells you it brings you good luck so long as long as you don't open it. Your curiosity gets the best of you and you open it, revealing something you least expected. •��������Witches: Against the warnings echoed across the sea, you find yourself entangled in an enchanting dance with a captivating witch. Embrace the allure of this forbidden alliance and explore the thrilling saga that unravels amidst sorcery and wickedness. •Magic: Finally, you've managed to gather the courage to get yourself a tattoo. What you didn't expect, however, was that it would grant you the ability to see creatures no one else can see beside you. •��������DarkFantasy: You are invited to join a mysterious group of people who can travel to the Underworld on a whim. •��������HornsandHalos: You find yourself stuck between an angel and a demon who need to put aside their differences and work together to stop a greater evil.

**SHORTLISTED - ONC2024** Prompt: "Fairytales are real" and there couldn't be anything worse." "Hi, my name is Rue, and my fairytale is worse than Cinderella's and Snow White's. In "The Worst Fairytale," I, Rue, dive headfirst into an adventure that twists the classic fairytale into something dark, thrilling, and utterly enchanting. Tasked with rescuing my grandmother, I find myself in a world filled with deceitful and magical creatures, including the tiny, troublesome fae and their captivating king. Navigating a realm where beauty masks danger, I discover unsettling truths about myself and the fae that blur the lines between heroes and villains. With each encounter, the distinctions between ally and adversary fade, challenging my every conviction. Join me on this journey of love, betrayal, and redemption, where my mission to save my grandmother might cost me more than I'm willing to sacrifice. Will I manage to outwit the villains and perhaps share a dance with the mysterious Fae King, or will this story spiral into my deepest fears? Delve into "The Worst Fairytale" to discover if I can forge my own happy ending in a world that defies all expectations." **** ONC 2024 Entry ****

Monsters Are Created By Other Monsters. Sou & Isabelle, A set of eccentric and unhinged twins with erratic elemental powers has to set aside their differences, control their evergrowing power and win a war in order to protect the only place they call home their academy and other gifted people from being hunted by the beast. - What you're about to read doesn't matter because a sinister force lurks beyond the great graveyard that protects the institution of, for and by the gifted! The first thing you need to understand about this story is it stems from a place of really deep mistrust and an unforgivable betrayal. That's an angry theme. But that all of that changes when we realise there's a lot more to this ever-expanding story! If there are Witches in this universe then obviously there are Witch hunters to just finish them off. There's a rich history or a back story where almost 20 years ago the hunters gathered and removed all existence of witches with elemental magic (Controlling Earth, Fire, Water, Air & Spirit ) but only two survived. That's when the book jumps in to follow the path of those survivors. Um, there are factions of offensive(Elementals) and defensive covens(Guardians) and then there's the elements of epic love, love that consumes the people involved and of course what's love without a little danger. - Thank you so much if you've read this far. I deeply urge you to binge read the book and decide for yourself whether it's unputdownable or not. Thank you so much by the way dear reader. By reading this book you are supporting a plus-sized lgbtqiaap+ community model/writer who has seen nothing but struggle and blatant discrimination everywhere.

The legends tell of mystical creatures with unnatural powers. They can change into any form to hunt their prey. The humans call them 'shapeshifters'. It is told that they're humans practising the forbidden arts of magic using the blood of every being in the world. Nobody has seen them for centuries but the legend remains. In every legend you find truth. In this world the humans have created themselves an empire. The kings and lords rule over their land. The peasants live their poor life and the priests pray to god. But in this empire there is war. Bloody war for more land to rule over. My name is Elena Dregones. I live in this world of war, death, pain and hunger. Life hasn't been very kind to me. When I was young I lost my memory after an accident. I remember nothing from my early life. I don't have a family. The only person I can trust is my best friend Alexander Senogerd. We live together in a broken hut. We haven't got any money. We're lower than the peasants. We're nothing.

"You will seek death but you will not find it. You will long to lose consciousness but ever present you shall stay. Finally alone you will shrivel up and die without your own kind in all your magnificent splendor, and only after everyone you love is dead. By then, it will no longer matter, for when you finally have your light you will depart from it faster than fire from a raging wind. But perhaps you would have comfort yet little one. Death is a sweet thing in a world like this." Cursed by a Wishing Dragon when she was only a dragonet, Stygian sets off in search of a cure, leaving behind everyone she knows and loves. On her journey for help she meets more enemies than friends, with a little red fox as her only companion. At last she finds Turbulence; God of Confusion; the only one who can save her, or so he or she claims. *** Fyran, the Librarian's Apprentice is on the hunt for Leviathan; a legendary beast long foretold by prophecy, a prophecy she had disregarded as an old fable. Yet, ever since her father stumbled into their broken down house one dark night covered in blood and deliriously talking about a dragon with iron teeth, Fyran is no longer so sure. After her father dies and renders them all penniless, Fyran goes in search of this creature to take revenge-and the huge bounty on its head issued by the King of Sufta. Perhaps she will be successful and they'll no longer have to grovel as the poorest of the poor, and at the very least she'll acquire justice for the murder of her father, the only father she's ever had. But there is an old and forgotten prophecy as old as time fast approaching on the horizon. Nobody can stop it, fate is a force that can't be reckoned with, and everything that ever has and will ever happen to every citizen has already been foretold in their scrolls. The fate of Sufta is uncertain, and powerful forces are at play, but who has enough discernment to understand a long forgotten prophecy that's been dismissed by generations?

Eliora May, a lifetime citizen of Maplemaw, is something many women are not. Literate. An activist. But these become hard to complete as all is stripped away from her with the coming of unexpected news. Marriage and war between the faeires and elves of Ilkaphene. A land of magic, where flowers and fungi grow as tall as their castles. Where forest creatures live in harmony. A land of peace. A land where a fairy married an elf. A fairy princess marrying an elf princess at that. Eliora begins to hear rumors of the war. How it was destroying an ethereal land. And, worst of all, how women were being silenced to prevent more "corruption". As the war and its standards begin to seep into Elvangmort, changing Eliora's home into one of constrictions, hushed whispers, and worst of all, a hatred toward women, she knows that she must do something to save her freedom and the freedoms of those around her. *** This is my submission for ONC 2025! Main prompt: 33. In a time when same-sex marriage was still a stigma, two kings defy convention and marry each other-igniting a conflict that threatens to spark a world war Secondary prompts: 43. During a wartime book ban, a young woman discovers love letters hidden in the margins of a historical book. As she reads, she unravels a mystery about her family and finds love of her own. 96. The road you've traveled almost every day of your life begins to change-transforming it into a dark, terrifying place right before your eyes. 109. In secret, a group of women forms a book club during the ban on reading. As they sneak around town exchanging books, they form unexpected friendships, navigate their love lives, and uncover hidden strengths and passions. Story playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0qRA9ENIMuYf6UuYmtXlkd?si=6yrjpvyWSwWC9nz-URZq3g TW: Abuse, homophobia

The war that started it all. Five hundred years ago a war erupted in Elementa when humans started hunting a revered race called the Drekablóð; half humanoid, half dragon. The humans saw them as abominations for their differences; fear of a race more powerful than another makes others do rash and deadly things. After the humans slaughtered a whole settlement of Drekablóð, the magical creatures of Elementa rose up in defense of the Drekablóð. The humans likewise called on their dwarf and elf allies. Thus Bellum ex Quod Draco ipsos Troiugenas began. For ten long, bloody years the races fought hard for the future of the Drekablóð. One wanting to exterminate them like pest. The other wanting them to survive and flourish. In the end, the humans won, but their victory cost them and the rest of Elementa dearly. The alicorns and dwarves disappeared. The wyverns and elves were practically extinct. Dragons were a rare sight. Only the humans survived to tell the tale of how they wiped out the evil monsters that tried to take their lands. Elementa, originally a lush and beautiful land, was now split into four different climates, equally harsh in their own way. But the humans prevailed in cultivating Elementa and chasing away any remaining magical creatures into her far corners. With the resistance of magical creatures no longer in their way, the humans continued their 'sport' of hunting the Drekablóð into extinction. Half a millennium later, the seeress Carmentha foresaw the return of the Drekablóð, and restoring Elementa to her prime and defeating the wicked and harsh rulership of Elementa. These four children have been destined to save Elementa before they were ever born. Can they overcome their difficulties and save Elementa? Or will they fail and allow Elementa to fall into darkness forever? There will be some minimum swearing and minimum acts of violence. I would rate this book for 14 and up.