Writing Prompt For Storytelling Fiction

**Fantasy Writing Prompt:** **Opening Scenario:** In a world where magic is strictly regulated by an ancient council, every child must be tested on their 16th birthday to determine their magical aptitude. Failure to show any magical ability results in banishment to the Outlands, a cursed wilderness from which no one returns. **Your protagonist, Elara,** is a 16-year-old girl who has never shown any signs of magic, but on the eve of her testing, she begins to hear whispers from an unseen voice, guiding her toward a forgotten forest at the edge of her village. In this forest lies a forbidden artifact that the council has long kept hidden—an ancient relic tied to the world’s most powerful and dangerous magic. **Character Development:** Elara is quiet and observant, often feeling like an outsider in a world that reveres magic-users. She is fiercely protective of her younger brother, who looks up to her despite her lack of power. She harbors a deep sense of guilt for the mysterious disappearance of her mother years ago, believing it to be connected to magic in some way. Beneath her calm exterior, she carries a simmering resentment toward the council and their rigid control over society. **Central Conflict:** Elara faces the looming threat of banishment, but the greater conflict emerges when she uncovers a dangerous secret about the council's control over magic. She discovers that the whispers she hears are coming from the artifact itself—an ancient being sealed within it that claims to be the source of all magic. The being offers her a dangerous deal: unleash it, and it will grant her untold power. But doing so could break the balance of the world and unleash chaos. **Twist/Unexpected Element:** The twist is that Elara's mother was one of the last people to commune with the artifact before vanishing, and it becomes clear that releasing the being will not only grant her power but also reveal the truth behind her mother’s fate. However, the more Elara interacts with the artifact, the more she starts to question its motives—and her own growing thirst for power. **Tone/Mood:** Set a tone of quiet suspense and mystery, with an undercurrent of tension building throughout the story. The mood should evoke a sense of isolation, both in terms of Elara’s personal struggles and the larger world that is teetering on the edge of a magical catastrophe. Explore themes of power, trust, and the consequences of one’s choices in a world where nothing is as it seems.