A long, long time ago.

[Lucian]

Lucian sat in the small chapel of his Abby. The day was cold as the snow fell hard on the ground. He looked up to the tabernacle, where the Blessed Sacrament was kept.

"Here I am, Lord. Your servant is listening. . ."

His voice echoed through out the stone building. He tried to concentrate on his prayers that use to come so easily to him. The world had changed so much for him. . . Nothing came. He closed his prayer book, stepped out of the pew, genuflected and walked out. A strong breeze made the snow look like someone had just shaken a snow globe. Lucian smiled and slightly bowed his head in thanks for gift. As he walked from underneath the awning he raised his hood and stuffed his arms into his habit. The other brothers were still asleep.

The sun had just barely started to rise above the horizon. He walked around the chapel to where the bell free stood, grabbed the rope and jumped. When he landed his feet only stayed grounded for a few seconds the giant bell lifted him a few feet off the ground. Once more Lucian came down with his entire weight, this time the bell rang out loudly. This was repeated a few more times. Landing he looked over to the dormitories and watched as each window was lit by the light inside. He smiled as he walked over to Kitchen he had something special planned for the brothers, concidering that today was the 1475th year since the conception of their order.

What a terrible world it was back then. . . All the killing.

[Lucian]

Lucian made his way around the kitchen as he allowed his mind to drift to the past. He remembered seeing all the atrocities of his family during that time, though he had no direct influence considering that according to them he was dead, and had been thus since the Great King of Persia conquered his home. He was "killed" in defense of his great city of Babylon when Xerxes I attacked. He was helping his family escape when he was shot in the back by an arrow. The last thing Lucian could remember about that horrible account was seeing his brother run through when he came back to get his body.

He woke up in a pile of bodies, all Babylonian. He couldn't understand. . .Why had the gods allowed him to survive, only to die in his heart. He laid perfectly still till the sun went down and the Persians who were filling the grave left. He climbed out, over old friends and mentors. A slave boy watched in horror as Lucian climbed out.

"Good morning Brother Lucian!"

Lucian was snatched from his memory by Br. John as he walked through the door. Br. John sniffed the air and grinned.

"Another one of your specialties?" He shook his head. "I don't know how you know all these old recipes. I can't find them anywhere."

Lucian smiled as he turned to John holding a frying pan of cooking meat.

"Well, Brother, when you're as old as I am you don't have a written recipe to go by. It's all memory."


John shook his head. "You're not that old. You look to be the same age as I am. You're what twenty five, twenty six?"

Lucian smiled, ". . .you would not believe me if I told you."

[Lucian]

"I know that you're not normal. . ." John said as he watched Lucian reach up into the cabinet for a bowl.

Lucian stopped with is back to John, "Why do you say that?" The joy seemed to have seeped out of Lucian as he continued to work with the food.

"I can't explain it, but one day I saw you working in the field with Brother Gabriel. You walked up behind him and startled him. The next thing I knew you were on the ground with his cycle in your chest. I started to run over to you but you stood up, fine as ever. I couldn't believe my eyes." John sat silent waiting on Lucian to respond.

"You're right Brother. . . I am not like the rest of you. . . " Lucian had stopped working on breakfast. "In order for you to believe what I will tell you we need to meet in the library. Let the brothers get busy with their day so we won't be disturbed."

"Alright." Was all that John said as he stood up and walked out of the Kitchen.

"Well Father. . . It seems it's time for me to tell the next generation. . . Give me the strength I need. This never gets any easier." Lucian prayed as he finished his work. When the brothers finished eating breakfast they got ready to get to work on the grounds. Lucian walked silently to the library. He went to the oldest section where some of the original documents remained. He ran his hand along the old, faded bindings looking for the register for their branch of the order. Finally his eyes found the old tome, he pulled it from the shelf and took it to one of the tables and began looking through the pages. A few minutes passed and Br. John walked into the room.

"Br. Lucian. . ." John said as he sat down next to Lucian. "What is it?" He saw the look of pain and sadness in Lucian's eyes.

Coming back to the present. "Nothing John. Here is part of your answer. This is the original group of brothers that came over to the States in 1803. There were only six of us, how the order has grown since then." Lucian showed John the list of names and next to each one was a signature. Lucian reached over and grabbed a piece of scrap paper and a pen and signed it. He lined it up to the third name on the list, it matched perfectly.

"You can't be serious. You're 206 years old? How can that be?" John asked as he pulled a little away from Lucian.

"Actually no I'm 2,489 years old." Lucian said as he closed the tome and stood up and walked to anther book shelf. His eyes scanned it quickly finding the book he was looking for he grabbed it and placed it on the table before John. "I'm not sure how it is possible. I've technically have died over 4,000 times. Stabbed, ran over by cars and horses, shot. But every time I come back." John didn't say anything as he looked at Lucia. Glancing down at the book that was placed in front of him he noticed it was a photo album. He opened it up only to see an old tin photo of six men who looked quite grumpy. There on the back row stood Lucian.

[Lucian]

"I. . . can't. . . can't believe it. It's impossible for you to be that old." John sat looking from the photo to Lucian.

"There is a lot of things I could tell you. Many books I could write. Many history books I could correct" Lucian said as he sat back down next to John.

"So where were you born. . .or can you remember?" John's eyes lit up as he leaned forward.

Lucian laughed as he put his arm around John. "You took that a lot better than some of the others. . . I was born in Ancient Babylon just twenty years before Xerxes I attacked. That was the first time I died, defending my home. I found my family who ran me off saying that I was the child of a demon to have survived such an atrocity. From then on I wandered close to them but with out them knowing it. Soon another war broke out between Xerxes and the rest of the world, at the time again I was pulled into the battle. By that time I had become quite proficient with the sword I climbed the ranks very fast. Mostly because everyone else died. I soon became apart of an elitist group of Xerxes' army known as the Immortals. We were the strongest of all men. We traveled the world, from Babylon to Jerusalem, to Rome. I learned so much. When the time came I had to "die" people were starting to talk about me. So when we faced the Spartans I conveniently fell off a very high cliff. I was found by a ship that was heading for Gall. I joined the crew and disappeared for a time." Lucian looked over to John as he finished his rant. "Sorry John. That was a bit much."

"That is amazing!" John said as he leaned back in his chair. "If you don't mind, please tell me more." Lucian smiled.

"Alright. Let's see. It seemed at the time that I was always fighting. I went from one war to another to find a purpose. I ended up in China learning an ancient art of fighting known as Karate. Lived a very successful life there. I married and had a few children. I became the keeper of the Imperial seal, a great honor to receive. By this time our Lord had suffered his death and had ascended into heaven. Word spread to China and reached my ears. I ignored it as some rumor. Soon I had to leave my home and children. So I allowed my life to be taken as I protected the emperor from his brother. It failed. I moved back to Rome. There great changes occurred I saw the bloody deaths of the martyrs for our Lord. It intrigued me that so many would die for some man. Again time passed to quickly I joined the Roman army and conquered half of the world. My skills gained me a high rank in the army I was stationed in Britannia. I died in battle against the Celts. I was able to make it to the river before I passed out. I woke up several days latter in the house of a widow. She had drug me from the water and removed the arrow that was logged in my back. I found out that she was a Christian woman. We talked every day about God and Jesus. It was that year in 592. I was baptized into the faith. I quickly joined the monastic live seeking solitude from a live of war. My secret has been well kept from the outside world. I've met several of the Holy Fathers. Great men all of them. In the late 1700's the order felt that our presence was needed in the states. Being one of the oldest members I willingly left home and journeyed here." Lucian smiled as he looked over to John who just sat there with his jaw hanging open.

"I knew something was different with you. . . Your homilies are so powerful, so. . .wise. You use your experiences to guide your people." John said as he looked Lucian up and down.

"You must promise me that you won't tell anyone. . . This is something that must remain with in the order. If the outside world found out I would be in great danger." Lucian said as he placed all the books back on the shelf.

"You have my word. Brother." John said as he stood up.

"Good." The bell rang out the time of four o'clock. "Let's go get started on dinner." Lucian said as he walked over to the door. John quickly joined him and they made their way back to the Kitchen.