People in your world have an expression: late bloomer. Consider me the ultimate late bloomer. It's taken me over 100 years to get started.

But first, I must introduce myself: I am Hekonai Hanawa. Please call me Hekonai.

My dream is simple enough: all I've ever wanted is to be a samurai, respected and heroic. However, the title of my story reveals the role I was created to play: Namakura Gatana means 'blunt sword.'

Review my birth narrative and you'll see my many mistakes... Getting conned into buying a cheap, flimsy sword. Being unable to use it properly. Too much confidence in my nonexistent abilities. Picking fights with people who don't deserve it. And losing, always losing.

I've lived this story more times than you've taken a breath. I always start with hope but end up a fool. I think I angered the gods in a past life. That's not a figure of speech. I really believe I angered all of the gods in all of the religions.

My story may sound hopeless but don't give up. My redeeming quality is perseverance and after a century, it has helped me find a new beginning.

More soon...

Please enjoy the next post #1 below in the Hekonai Journal.

The Hekonai's Journal is an ongoing meta-narrative. If you want to learn how it came to be, check out the introduction post by clicking here. For new posts, latest updates, and discussions, please follow us on Twitter and join our Discord.