I stood before my opponent. Our swords glistened in the sunlight. A light breeze rustled the green leaves above. Winter had given way to spring.

“I am unstoppable,” I told him. I was calm, steady. There was no tinge of boastfulness. I could have told him that the sun was going to rise tomorrow, or two and two made four.

He quietly scoffed. In the next instant, his sword lashed out, reaching for mine. He wanted to prove that I wasn’t unstoppable. He wanted to show me his power. I’m sure he meant to follow through, but in that instant, he lost sight of the goal. In that instant, he thought of something other than killing me.

In that instant, I became like water. My sword slipped away silently. His sword swished through the air while mine slid through his heart.

I repeated, “I am unstoppable.”