I closed my eyes and listened to his voice. I heard Buddha’s voice in mind. “What is going on?” “Am I imagining this?” I heard his voice in my ears.

Happy place, happy place. The garden filled with happy times of me with my wife, Eve; my beautiful Eve. I pictured us together in the garden and then something started to happen inside of me. I felt this power. I saw Buddha there with us in the garden glowing. Qiao told me to open my eyes and stand up. So I stood up with a teardrop running down my face. Qiao told me to use that power and channel it through my fists. Qiao told me to swing both my hands now. As I swung, Qiao placed a thick piece of wood in my way. I felt the life from my soul go through my hands. Both of my fists struck the wood and it broke up into small pieces. Qiao smiled at me saying, “My friend, you have found the middle way,” and then bowed to me. Buddha said with a big smile on his face, “You have just learnt the Almighty push. Also, another reason we don't use it too often is because channeling the power of your soul will shorten your life with every use. It is called the Almighty push for a reason. You're pushing out the power that was given by the Almighty God. That tear that I shed was not from sadness but joy. If you have ever cried from joy, you will then find true happiness. There, Buddha told me his work was done and went back to his place to meditate.

Qiao was in shock. He told me he couldn’t believe that Buddha got up to speak. Qiao started to really teach me the ways of the Buddha. He taught me about the enlighten path, it means to release one's self of earthly objects. Qiao told me the ones who try to be perfect will never be enlightened. No matter what we have and what humans do, we will never be perfect. What we fail to realize is that we are perfect our perfect imperfections make us strive for more. It makes us seek peace search for answer that a perfect being will never find.

If one thinks that he is perfect, he will fail to see things right in front of him. If he thinks that he is perfect, he will feel that he don’t need answer because of the fact he is perfect and no knowledge will be found. Qiao was the smartest man I have ever met until this point of my life. He told me the only perfect man is the one knows he's not perfect. I heard Buddha’s voice again; he told me you can only gain perfection in death. There is no way I’m imaging this.

Qiao taught me the three marks of existence. Anicca; Nothing in this world will cease to exist. No matter if you believe in God or not, everything will live forever. I asked Qiao what he meant by this. He asked me to see this leaf for it will fall off this tree and touch the ground. Not being attached to the tree will cause the leaf to wither. Wither away it shall but it will not give life to the grass. We walked up to the tree in the courtyard; it was an old majestic tree. Qiao said, “You see this tree. It is my ancestor. Many of my family were buried here.”

Dukkha; nothing in this world can bring lasting deep satisfaction. We can find someone to love and be happy with but if the people you love are attached to the world, you will find suffering. We are creatures not of this world and you can never find happiness by having attachment to the world. No gold, no silver and no jewels can keep you happy forever.

Anatta; self does not exist. The words I and mine mean nothing. Nothing in this world is ours. Our possessions will be someone else’s when we die. The only thing you own is the thoughts in your head and the love in your heart. For the body will be given to the earth and the soul given to god. Thus, nothing can be yours for there is no self. I heard Buddha’s voice again. This world is not of God’s so don’t be a part of the world. Is Buddha trying to guide me?

Qiao taught me the four immeasurable; loving-kindness towards all and everything. I don't hate the enemies that I fight on the battlefield but instead, I wish them peace even at the moment of strike. Always hope that a person will be well. We must do this without any exception whether the person is evil or your enemy.

Compassion and hoping that a person's suffering will diminish. I pray for my enemies and evil ones hoping that they will find peace. I wish no suffering on no one. I think that all people have goodness in them so they will be able to change.

Empathetic joy; joy in the accomplishments of a person. It can be in oneself or in another. You should be proud of yourself or a friend when they have done something to be proud of. It’s good to rejoice in the happiness and virtues of a person. By sharing a little joy with a person that has lost their hope can help them find their way.

Equanimity; we must learn to accept loss and gain. This one is not easy. The fact that we are not perfect can sometimes make us feel that we don't deserve to be happy. Also, it makes it hard to accept the lost when we weren't going to win in the first place. We must accept praise and blame, success and failure. This is not to be distinguished between friends but by all beings. We are all created equally and we must not be overpowered by delusions, mental dullness or agitation.

The last thing Qiao taught me was the noble eightfold path. Number one was the right view, the right perspective, the right outlook or the right understanding is the right way of looking at life. Seeing things the way they really are. The right view is just plain wisdom. Without wisdom, you can't have the right view of life. If you don't have wisdom, you don't have the knowledge to understand what you see.

Number two; the right intentions, the right thought, the right resolve, the right conception or the right aspirations is something we all need. This will inspire you to rid yourself of bad qualities. There are things inside us all that are wrong and immoral. Qiao said sometimes, he lets his emotions get the best of him. He said living life through emotions can cause emotional outbreak, emotional outbreaks causes you to not use your mind.

Number three; the right speech and learn to say the right things. We must learn to speak the truth at all times. In speaking the truth, we can learn to use the right words to say. Just because you're right doesn't mean you can use words that would hurt others. Learning to speak the truth with the right words can bring peace.

Number four; the right actions or the right conduct learning to do what's right. One should train oneself to be morally upright. Do not act in ways that will corrupt someone or oneself. Do not bring harm with your actions and to only use force for defence.

Number five; the right livelihood and live the right way. Feed your mind and body with good things. Live life like it's the only one you got. Even though we die and become something else, remember you only live this life once.

Number six; the right effort, the right endeavour or the right diligence is to abandon all wrong. Abandon wrong and harmful thoughts, words and deeds. You should persist in giving rise to what is good and useful in yourself and others through good words, thoughts and deeds.

Number seven; the right mindfulness, the right awareness or the right attention feed your mind good memories. You must keep your mind alert at all times to encourage a phenomenal effect on the mind. Do not speak or act due to forgetfulness or misunderstanding. The body is your temple but the mind is what makes the temple breathe.

Number eight; the last of the noble eightfold path the right concentration. Without this, the other noble sevenfold path will be hard to achieve. You must find yourself within yourself the truth that lies inside. No matter what you do, you can't lie to yourself but you can only trick your mind. We must remove the layers that we use to trick ourselves and find the real us. I went to sleep that day with a peaceful mind hearing the words of Qiao who brought more understanding and meaning.
I remembered my dream till this day; I was outside the garden just as I always am. I saw a light walking towards me. As it got closer, I finally made out a figure. It was Buddha with the big smile of his. He said hello Cain, the one who can never die. I had this shocked look on my face. He said yes, I know who you are. I will be here to guide you on your path for a person that cannot die, who can shape the destiny of life as we know it. You have nothing but time on your hands. Remember the noble eightfold path and you will do fine. He vanished after that. I had a nice feeling in my heart knowing this man is by my side.

Years went by and I have finally found peace but just like everything else, nothing seems to last. When the world is full of men, we will never find peace. The Shaolin temple was peaceful but the world around us was caving in. One day, while on a trip to a city to the east, we encountered an army of men who looked familiar to me but they were not Egyptian.

The army was burning down the city so me and Qiao stepped in to help the people. Qiao said that this is not a time to be the dragon. We must be tigers or these people will all die. We rushed in on the attack. The first soldiers got their arms broken while the next ones got their legs broken. We kicked them on the side of the knee to snap their legs.

The other soldiers saw us going through their men like water. They started to attack us. Make no mistakes that two men cannot take on an entire army. However, you can definitely take on an entire army when they have swords and already thought they won. The soldiers fought with emotions while we fought with our minds. Me and Qiao took down around twenty soldiers while the rest managed to run away.

We helped put out the fires in the city. Many women and children lay dead on the streets. We let our guard down but there was still one soldier left. He charged Qiao from the inside of a building. Qiao flinched back and swung, hitting the soldier in the neck. The soldier died instantly. I could see the sadness in Qiao’s eyes. I told him that it was not his fault and he said he knows but it still hurts.

Qiao stood over top of the soldier and said a prayer. I bowed my head in respect for the loss of life. Some of the people ran up to us to thank us. We bowed and said you're welcome and then we asked the people what's going on. They told us that it was the Persian Empire. In my head, I remembered hearing stories about how they had one of the largest armies and that we need to watch them.

I was thinking why they are this far away with their soldiers. The people of the city said the Persian Empire rules eastern China. I couldn't believe what I have just heard. This can't be. Me and Qiao continued to move east to find out the truth. The people of the city gave us horses so it made the traveling faster. Just like the people said, the Persian Empire was in every city.

We stopped many people on our way through to try to find more answers. Most of them didn't know more than the rest but we found some who knew the whole story. They told us the Persian Empire first took Egypt and later on conquered all the lands to the west. I couldn't believe my ears. Egypt has been taken over?

I didn't want to believe it but the evidence was clear. My home has been taken over. I must do something. I looked at Qiao and said that I must go. My homeland has been taken over and I must go to help. Qiao said to go and that he’ll remain there to help his people. I closed my eyes and said goodbye in my mind. I could picture Buddha in the corner smiling. I set sailed from Nepal. I packed my horse and made off. Before I go to Egypt, I must go somewhere else first. I sailed all the way south to the village of the sea.

I pulled up to the shore. Those beautiful memories started to flood. “My Eve, my beautiful Eve. Oh how I have missed you so.” The village now had people living there. As I made my way to the village, I was met by the villagers with spears in their hand. They asked me what I was doing here and I told them that I'm here to see an old friend. The villagers said they have never seen me before and who my friend is. I couldn't very well tell him the truth now because they wouldn't believe me anyway.

Since I was taught to speak the truth, I told them I tell no lies. They made me get on my knees and they called for the village elder. The elder walked up to me and circled around me, looking all over me. He asked me what I was doing here and I told him that I came to visit an old friend. He asked me who this friend is and I told him that she longer dwells in this world. He grabbed my face and made me look him straight in the eye. With tears falling, I said please, let me she her. I meant no harm.

He turned and waved his hand to signal to the villagers to remove the spears from my face. The elder said that he sees no lies in my face and I am welcomed in their village. I bowed my head and thanked him. With the horse by my side, I walked straight to the back of the village with the elder followed me closely. I saw the rose bush. It is still growing strong so I walked over to it. The elder told me to stop because that ground is sacred to the people.

I looked at him and said that it is sacred to me too. I told him this is where my friend rest. The elder had a shocked look on his face and he asked me how I knew someone was there. With no lies in my face, I told him that it was because I placed her here and planted the roses. With a shocked look on his face, he asked me how can that be. I told him it’s a long story that I do not wish to speak on.

The village elder fell to his knees. I have heard stories about the undying man who planted these roses and buried his wife and that he shall return at any given time to visit her. I didn't believe it was true. I thought it was just a myth. I turned to the rose bush and started to feel the roses. I was telling myself how it was still strong and beautiful as ever. I placed my nose in the bush. They still had that sweet smell. I fell to my knees and hugged the ground in which she lay.

I burst out crying out loud. I couldn't hold back my tears that I have held inside from the moment she died. I just kept saying I miss her so much over and over again. The pain of my never ending cursed life was too much to bear. I lay on the ground for hours just crying and crying. I didn't want to leave this spot. I finally got the courage to move. The village elder gave me a hug and asked me to go with him.

I followed him to the tent area where I saw a tent made up of lion mane. Man, did that bring back memories. I had a big smile on my face. The elder told me its mine. He didn't believe that legend was true but they made a tent just in case I returned. I thanked him for that but I'm only staying for the night because I have to go free Egypt.

Those words must have touched something because the old man ran off telling me to wait right there. The villagers came running with supplies I will need for my journey. They gave me a sword, some water and some food. They packed it all into the side of my horse. They told me the Persian Empire is an evil empire and they are aiming to conquer all of the lands.

They told me to sleep. I will need my rest for the fight that is to come. The tent was in the same spot as the old. Still rubbing the side she slept on till I fell asleep. I woke up the next day, walked to my love and told her goodbye. The villagers were waiting for me around gate. They cheered and wished me luck. Off I rode into the rising sun. It was a magical moment. With my heart, body and mind at peace, I was happy.

This trip didn't take too long. It took about two months as I had a fast horse. I called him shadow because he was black as the night. His black hair blew in the wind. He was the strongest horse I ever seen. We finally made in to Egypt. The place still looked the same but the environment was different. The Persian flags and soldiers roamed the great city.

The Egyptian people were their servants I guess. They now know how the people of Israel felt. I had a different feeling when I was walking through the city. I was watched like a hawk with every step. The soldiers told me I wasn't allowed to carry a sword. I didn't want to give them my sword but it was foolish for me to fight now. So I gave them my sword first I must find out what's going on.

I started talking to the people to ask them what has happened. They told me the Persian Empire marched into Egypt with hundred thousand men and we didn't have a chance. They killed the pharaoh and the queen and took over the throne. Cambyses of Persia was now the new pharaoh. They told me all the Egyptian people are now servants to the Persian Empire. They told me about a force that was fighting to take back the kingdom.

I asked the people where this force lay and I was told of someone on the outline of the pyramids. I walked back to my horse to find some Persian soldiers admiring my horse. They asked me where I got that from and I told them it was from a friend. They asked me where I got the strange clothes from and I told them the same thing too. I told them I want no trouble and they said I will have no trouble if I give them the horse.

I wasn't about to give them shadow so I offered them jewels that the villagers give me. They took the jewels and said that they still want the horse. I had no choice but to fight. I closed my eyes and said just let me go. They said no and what am I going to do about it. I kicked them both on the side of the knee and broke their legs. They screamed in pain the other soldiers heard them. I hoped on shadow and kicked two more soldiers as I rode off.

I made my way to the outer lines of the pyramids. I saw nothing so I decided to journey onward. I came across a place filled with tents guarded by five men. They said halt who goes there and I said a friend of the people. They asked what does this friend of the people want. I said to free Egypt and their eyes got narrow and asked me how they would know whether I am a spy or not. I showed them the eye of the sun and they dropped down to their knees and said sorry my lord.

They told me to follow them and I told them to look out for my horse as he is an old dear friend. I patted shadow on the neck and made my way to the tent. There was a young man sitting in a chair with the pharaoh’s crown on his head. He introduced himself. He said his name was Ramses the fourth. In my head, I was thinking if this Ramses is the second great grandson. He asked me where I got the eye of the sun. I told him it was from an old friend. He said how it could be given by an old friend when that was given to Ra-Noor, the time before any of us were born.

I told him I knew for I was there. He didn't believe the words that I have spoken. He thought I was Ra-Noor's son. He said so you’re the son of the great Ra-Noor. I know I was taught not to lie but he would have not believed me anyway so I told him yes and that I'm the son of Ra-Noor. He said great, just like old times. The son of the pharaoh and the son of mighty Ra-Noor united together once again. He said just like old times, I will be his advisor. I started to think if I could ever escape that job position.

He told me that this is the force that will take back Egypt. We fought with the Persian Empire for years, losing men steadily. We could not take back Egypt because the people were too afraid of the Persians. During this time, I knew it would take years and years to free Egypt if it was even possible. I got the idea of storming into my old palace to get my mask back. I knew I would need the mask to hide my never aging face.

So I waited for the night when the moonshines the least. I rode on the outline of the city so I wouldn't be seen. I trained shadow hard during the war to reclaim Egypt. He was a horse of war. I even made him some light armour to protect my friend. I taught him how to survive with little water or should I say, he taught himself. I taught him how to lay on the ground silent to wait for me.

I was dressed in an assassin's attire, all black with my face covered with nothing but my eyes showing. With rope in hand and sword by my side, I climbed the back of the gate. I moved fast and quiet and made my way to the Persian priest’s chamber. Just my luck, the door wasn't locked. I opened the door slowly so I wouldn't wake him. I saw my mask on the dresser. I knew he would have not tossed it since it was solid gold.

The one thing you could count on was human greed and a priest’s greed is ten times more. I grabbed my mask and made my way back to my rope. This was too easy but I didn't complain. I got the job done. I hoped back on shadow and rode off into the night. I bet he will be pissed tomorrow when he knows the mask is gone.

Even though that Cambyses II ruled Egypt, he almost never showed his face in Egypt. He ruled from a far and it was just the motivation we needed. Without a real ruler, the soldiers there will be weak without anyone to follow. Let’s say that the plan didn't turn out too great. Every time we thought we gained ground, our feet would slip. For every Persian soldier we kill, Cambyses II sent two in their place.

It was like killing bugs but just meaningless because they just kept coming. Cambyses II even treated them like bugs. He didn't care about the soldiers. All he ever wanted was Egypt's riches. Cambyses II loved the fact that he conquered the oldest kingdom made. It was clear as day in a man, I never seen but I knew his face so well. It was on everything the flags, the coins, and wall postings.

I never disliked a face more than his. It was hard to practice my Buddhist teachings in this war. I became the tiger the dragon became hidden. The dragon always showed at the wrong times. Whenever I had a soldier cornered, I will always set him free. There was this one time where I let a soldier free, he dropped his weapon and I let my guard down. The next thing I knew, he pulled a small blade from his boot and gave me a nice wound to remember him.

I killed him there on the spot as I couldn't let this snake live. Any man who fights like this doesn't deserve to live. Plus, in letting him live, he would use these tactics to kill many kind hearted men. There was another soldiers who I have let live, I found him later on raping an Egyptian woman. I released the blood from his neck. The dragon had to hide. I'm not fighting men but I'm fighting snakes.

I meditated every day in order to keep my inner peace. Even though I hid the dragon, I still needed him. I know what war can do to a man that makes him cold. The more you kill, the more you smell like blood. I hated the smell of blood. It is a thick and has a strong odour. The smell of blood and death cannot be mistaken for anything else.

Without the meditation, I would have turned into an animal. Killing changes a man it can turn you cold blooded and release the demons in your mind. Once the demons are released in your mind, you would have become lost to world. You will start killing for fun or to hear them scream. War changes a man and killing someone is always hard to deal with no matter if it's for a good reason.

It is always hard living with the fact that you killed someone where only the strong survive. I prayed for every life I took. I tried to do at the moment of death but it is a hard process when the fight never ends. The Egyptian rebels would ask me why I pray for the enemy. I said it does not matter if he is an enemy or not because he is still a living creature. The Egyptians did this to the people of Israel not too long ago and we must learn for our mistakes.

There are two sides to war where the both of them think they are right. If you were born in Persia, you would be here doing the same thing. Some understood what I was saying while the others didn't care. They just wanted to kill the Persians. Kill Persians we did but we would have accomplished nothing. In order to make the men feel like they had accomplished something, they would collect fingers and pieces of their attire.

They used these as a way to show their manhood or who was mightier than the other. I took no parts in these games. I knew what I was fighting for but seeing these actions made me question things. If we do free Egypt, they will just come an attack again but seeing the people suffering would always give me a clear view.

We didn't manage to take the kingdom from Cambyses II. Another ruler rose up and I didn't know what happened to Cambyses II but it was clear as day we had a new ruler. Darius face replaced Cambyses II face on everything. I didn't know if Cambyses II died, was this is son or did he just loss power but he was no longer there. Darius was smarter than Cambyses II by a huge margin. He conquered the whole of Middle East and half of Asia.

The Persian Empire was at a high point. No man could win against them. Knowing this is still never stopped us from trying what man wants. We fought the soldiers with no hope of winning but the thought of dying free always lit the fires of war. The stories of the Athens and the Spartans gave us hope. Hearing how Greece constantly fought off the Persian Empire and never gave up their kingdom was a soul lifter.

We would sit around the fire drinking, telling stories of the Athens and the Spartans victories. The Spartans were the greatest heroes of them all. The stories of how they trained and the way they only kept the strong ones from birth were fascinating. I study up on their history. There must be a secret way to defeating the Persians in there.

Anoxandridas II the king of Sparta was said to be a descendant of Heracles or who we now know as Hercules. Heracles was the mortal son of a God named Zeus. It was said that Anoxandridas II possessed the strength of a god and that no one could match his strength. Well, none of this helped me at all if that is his secret, it will not do me no good.

We continued to fight with no win in sight. We got word that Anoxandridas II died and his son Leonidas was the new king. Darius was no longer the king of Persia but his son, Xerxes was. I heard as soon a Leonidas became king, Xerxes sent an army to take over Sparta. Let's say it didn't happen. The Persians forced Egyptian men to fight alongside of their army.

They send the Egyptians in first to measure the strength of the army. Since they were slaves, no one cared that they died. I would talk to the Egyptians that survived against the Spartans.