Thank you to everyone who participated in this challenge, and congratulations to everyone who placed!
We had the best time diving into the worlds you created for us.
And now for the winners!
Drumroll please . . .
First Place
In Thy Heart Shall Burn
By Jasmine Kinsey
The ghost of a magician, confined to a wedding ring, summons one last act of magic for their living husband in hopes of rekindling his heart.
Trigger Warnings: Grief (Mild), Mourning
Second Place
Twenty-One Grams Heavier
By Matthew Oh
A young academic records his account of the events surrounding the passing of a brilliant colleague. As unsettling clues emerge around the circumstances of the death, he begins to question what truly happened—and whether his own recollection can be trusted.
Trigger Warnings: Death, Dead Body (Mild), Implied Murder (Mild), Psychological Distress (Mild)
Third Place
Animus Necandi
By Jessica Dvorscak
Renowned Professor of Applied Magics Enrick Konigsberg was found dead after a tragic accident. His colleague, Professor Franz Sünder, stands accused of murder in the first degree and alleges it was their experiment that killed Professor Konigsberg. The following is an excerpt from his cross-examination.
Trigger Warnings: Discussions of Strangulation and Death (Mild)
Fourth Place
The Mystery and the Honor
By Beau Jackson
A young thief breaks into an enchanted and guarded library looking for knowledge. But she soon finds out that knowledge without discipline can be its own threat.
Trigger Warnings: Blood, Sickness
Fifth Place
For a Good Scholar is Always in Need of a Good Pen
By Emma Márquez Peterson
Richard was a seventh son. He was a good scholar, well-read and studious, but still, he was not acknowledged by his family in the way he deserved. When he finds a mysterious talking fountain pen hidden deep in the library, a pen that offers him the validation and attention he craves, he is loath to part ways. No matter that it uses his blood for ink.
Trigger Warnings: Blood, Violence, Death
Sixth Place
Burned Out
By T.C. Hage
Professor Brandon Stone knows the importance of sticking to the rules, especially when it comes to powers that are better left untouched. But when his colleague and friend goes missing, he’ll have to once again meddle with the forbidden magic he swore never to touch again if he wants a chance to save her.
Trigger Warnings: Language (Mild)
Seventh Place
Sapere Aude
By L.K. Clark
When his friend returns from fieldwork early—sick, frightened, and guarding something he won't discuss—a failing PhD student finds himself drawn to the research his friend carried home.
Trigger Warnings: Death (Moderate), Violence (Implied), Illness (Moderate)
Eighth Place
The Black Codex
By Renata Buffalino
As the leading expert on mystical linguistics, Professor Audra Lemarque is tasked with unlocking a mysterious codex. The routine assignment quickly devolves into a stubborn battle of wills, but who will break first: the codex, or the Professor?
Trigger Warnings: Blood (Mild), Death, Murder (Mild), Language (Mild)
Ninth Place
Stories the Stones Tell
By Abigael Blair
When a power outage shuts off the college’s techno-arcana security system, a professor and her two postgrads must wake the retired grotesques to protect them from a supernatural threat, only to discover that a bigger danger might have been among them all along.
Trigger Warnings: Peril (Mild)
Tenth Place
show me your soul
By Jaclyn John
At the Marva School of Sculpting Sorcery, students learn to become artists before practicing magic. Cordelia, a second year student, is introduced to a secret fight club created by other students trying to let off some steam. Her entire perspective on art and magic is changed.
Trigger Warnings: Violence (Mild)