Therius finally turned to Xion and looked at him intently. His voice was gentle when he answered his friend's question.
"Xion, I have never and will never lie to you. But there are questions that I cannot answer. You must find out the answer for yourself. If I tell you my secret ... I would have to kill you." He shook his head once. "I don't want to be your enemy."
Xion was used to hearing Therius' words spoken in this solemn manner when he was earnest about something. Xion believed him when Therius said that he would never lie to him.
But what really happened back there? Xion felt like he would go crazy if he didn't know the answer. He was not stupid and had an excellent memory. He knew Therius had been wearing a leather strap with a titanium ring hung from it since they first met at the academy ten years ago.
He did not know how long Therius had had it and where he had gotten it. His best friend never told him the story.