The Sunflower Samurai

The Sunflower Samurai (300 words)

They call me the sunflower samurai. I can’t remember why I chose a sunflower for my sigil – probably because I’ve always found them beautiful. But, like a sunflower, I now follow the sun from east to west, so the name is quite fitting after all. My goal is to one day be the greatest swordsman to have ever lived. To achieve it, I travel the land, challenging all the best swordsmen to a duel to the death.

Ever since I first laid eyes on a sword, I knew it was my destiny to become a legendary swordsman. The way the blade gleams in the sun, the sound it makes as it slices through the air, the weight of it in my hand – it is an extension of my body and soul, and with it I create art.

I’m currently unbeaten after thirty-two duels – of course, if I wasn’t unbeaten, I’d be dead. Some of them have been close, leaving me badly scarred and missing two fingers on my right hand. I wear my scars like badges of honour. Now that the wounds have healed, they serve to intimidate my opponents. They broadcast to world that I mean business.

Trying to become the greatest swordsman to ever live can be quite lonely. I’ve had to kill most of my peers, whom I had the utmost respect for. But that’s just the way it is. Great achievements require even greater sacrifices. But like I said, this is my destiny, and destiny is most certainly calling.

Tomorrow, at first light, comes my final battle. There’s only one swordsman left standing between me and my destiny; and, in just a few hours, I go either to my death or to the pages of history. I’m known as the sunflower samurai. Don’t forget my name.