"Yes," he said softly. "They were given to me when I finished my training in the agoge. I've kept them safe all this time."
His gaze moved slowly over each object, frozen behind glass forever. "Hundreds of years ago, I saw they were starting to decay and fall apart. There was no way to repair them back then; museums could only lock things away - this was long before modern restoration techniques. So I did the only thing I could - I went to a witch and paid her to try and arrest the march of time. They're protected... but I can never touch them again." His pale eyes held an indescribable sadness, almost a longing.