The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. That's the proverb, right? I never understood it until I met my destiny.

My new beginning started with my usual ending: in the forest, flat on my face. I rolled on my back and looked up at a pale moon, shining its pitiless light down on me. I stared back at it as my inner voice said you can't do this anymore. This startled me. I didn't even know I had an inner voice.

At that moment, I saw a flicker of myself in the surface of the moon: my image was cleaner, less silly, more modern. It was who I dreamed of being.

I got up, dusted myself off and realized that image could be my future if I had to courage to grab it. I sheathed my sword and walked back to town with determined strides. The solution unfurled in my mind: return to the swordmaker, demand a new sword, start a new path.

I'd never felt such freedom before. Where did it come from? Was I dreaming?

There were no answers but it didn't matter. I had to try a new path, at least once.

Please enjoy the next post #2 below in the Hekonai Journal.

Post Soundtrack:

Into the author’s mind: “This cue originated as part of the soundtrack for The Mercenary, a spaghetti western. It was later repurposed by Quentin Tarantino for Kill Bill Vol. 2 in a dramatic sequence involving a premature grave. I chose it for this post because of how it starts with a lonely mood but builds in intensity, adding layers to the arrangement as it grows into something grand and heroic. I thought that made it perfect for Hekonai's moment of reawakening.”

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. If you want to read the prior journal entry, click here. For new posts, latest updates, and discussions, please follow us on Twitter and join our Discord.