The time has come for us to declare our chosen darkling to mark the end of this trial! We enjoyed diving through your deliciously dark worlds, and we are excited to bring you the results of our exploration! Hence, give it up for our Chosen Darkling for Year 2023!

Honour of Reason by mediocrehobbit

Blurb: After the King of Maidora dies, chaos ensues. When Prince Conlaed is visited by a vision, he discovers that his father's ,'peaceful' death may not have been so peaceful after all. Desperate to uncover the truth, he sets himself on a path of retribution. But the truth is easily tangled within lies and Conlaed begins to realise the death of his father may have only been the beginning. Deeper plots lie in wait and if he does not stop them, they may just destroy everything he loves.

Why we loved it: This story boasts great writing style, delightful and funny characters, vivid and immersive descriptions, and an intriguing mystery at its heart. You are sure to want to keep reading even through the night!

However, we are not done! While we received a lot of entries, these stories cannot help but catch our attention for the remarkable elements in the stories. Hence, we are compelled to give you the special categories and their winners. Give it up for these wonderful stories and their amazing authors!

Best Characters Award

Undying Devotion by FLPolgar

Blurb: Shannara is a hard working detective called in on a serial killing case. Not long into the case, things begin to take a turn for the worse. With no other logical choice she is forced to make a deal with a demon. The deal is in exchange for her hand in marriage. As the mystery unfolds with each death, will she be able to discern between genuine affection or a twisted love? Why does this demon want to marry her, and can she hold on to her only thread of sanity left as she looses her self between worlds.

Of Caverns and Casters by avadel

Best World Award

Out of Evenfall by Birdpaw

Blurb: Adara, a magickae living underneath a king who murdered the magical people of her home when she was a young girl; with no explanation as to why, was left in the care of her guardian. She hides away and hopes for an end to the hate. Evenfall comes with a vengeance, and she faces the world's shadow when she finds her only friend nothing more than bones. Unbeknownst to her, two Storm Wardens, Fenrer and Yuven come to the kingdom in search of an 'Anima', a powerful magickae due to the role they played in unleashing the world's shadows into reality. Everything comes to a clash at the beginning of the end. Forced to leave her home, and everything she grew used to, follows the golden warriors into the same dark she now sees within herself.

Best Hook Award

Behold the Scalded by LLSanders

Blurb: While surviving in the blackened two-mile radius within the quiet city dubbed The Scalded, Kyla Shepard befriends fellow survivors, Lilac and Hermit, who attempt to help her tame her imaginings before they run rampant and destroy everything with a pulse, including them. But when a group of city men infiltrate The Scalded to kill anything living and take back the land, Kyla attempts to fight fire with fire by training her imaginings to defend the place she calls home. As the monsters grow in strength, her attempts to tame the beasts might not only place the city and its residents in danger but cause her to lose the one thing she needs to succeed—her power.

Scapegoat by Exequinne

Blurb: The Woods must be appeased in order to stop the darkness from spreading into the kingdom. Paris Lerring, a farm girl from the countryside, is chosen as the next sacrifice. Just when it seems like her life is ending, she discovers that all the other sacrifices before her survived. And they are hungry for payback. The problem? They have to brave the Woods and kill the demons inside it. Armed with a flimsy knife, an untethered impatience, and a flawed grasp of her new world, Paris is shoved into a system where survival is the only rule to follow and revenge is the only goal to achieve. She has to stay on this road long enough to see it through before an unexpected loss leads her to a darker path, one she may not escape from alive.

We offer our most heartfelt congratulations to these stories and their authors. You all have done a marvelous job at crafting these tales and worlds. We had a hard time choosing the final slate among your stories, but that is the fun of these trials. If you didn't make it to the list, do not lose heart! The Chosen Darkling will be back around the same time next year, so polish up your stories. We look forward to your submissions and what darkness you will bring us next.

— The Dark Fantasy Team