—Well... Making the tunic is quite... easy— commented the old man, sipping his coffee somewhat annoyed —But the symbols are usually complicated. What religions did the client request?

—The wizard, the heroes, and the lost characters— replied Elías.

—As I feared...— murmured the old wizard with sadness —The symbol of the wizard is a problem: since you don't have a mask, we won't be able to make it...

—Can't I tell you which animal I like and use it as a symbol?— asked Adam, recalling that the mask and the symbol of the wizard he encountered in the magical book were inspired by the same animal —Then I can go to a store and buy a mask of that animal.

—I see you're quite ignorant, young man...— murmured the wizard —The first mask can only be acquired by chance, and then you have to make a copy for your disciple.

—Is there something special about the mask?— asked Adam with excitement, interested in discovering more secrets about the religion he was following.

The wizard didn't answer the question; instead, he closed his decrepit hand and held it in front of Adam. Then, the wizard opened his hand, revealing a miniature fox in his palm.

The fox had red fur, one of its eyes was white, giving the impression that it had lost it, and a scar ran halfway across its face. Additionally, it held a slightly crooked cigarette in its mouth.

The fox, without using its paws, smoked the cigarette as if it were a lollipop, while observing its surroundings cautiously. When it spotted the young hero, the little creature blew some small smoke rings toward Adam's face and insulted him with an ironic voice:

—Yes, the mask is special, you idiot! I hope the eternal ones violate your corpse, you stupid hero. If you had wasted your life helping yourself, you might survive the purge. But you wasted your time helping other morons who probably don't even remember your name right now.

—Does the mask give you a little book?— Far from being bothered by the creature's rude attitude, Adam asked with excitement about the miniature fox in the wizard's palm —What do you mean by finding the mask by chance? Do I have to come across it in some random book? How do I get my own little book?

—I am not anyone's little book, you bunch of...!— tried to shout the miniature fox.

—With your wizard's eyes, you'll find the mask on some adventure...— interrupted the old wizard , closing his hand again and making the little creature disappear—The truth is, I'm not quite sure how you find the mask either. I had a master, so I didn't have to go through your problem.

—Then why doesn't your disciple wear a mask?— Adam asked, looking at Elías with doubts.

—I'm not his disciple— Elías replied —One of my ancestors was his disciple, but he abandoned the path of the wizard and had children. Since then, the old man has been parasitically attached to our family.

—Eh? Can you have children as a wizard?— asked Adam, a bit desperate in his voice.

—No, young man...— replied the wizard with a smile at their shared misfortune —You have to stop being a wizard if you want to have them. You would lose all your magical abilities, and the ritual is quite complicated.

Saying that, the old wizard got up from the armchair and, moving at the pace of a turtle, headed to the back of the store. Meanwhile, Elías asked Adam:

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

—Do you follow any brotherhood?

—The truth is, I don't know any...— Adam replied, somewhat embarrassed —I didn't even know they existed. General knowledge books don't mention anything about them...

—You shouldn't feel ashamed; few people know more about religions than my family— Elías commented with some pride —In that case, I need to ask you some questions to see which brotherhood you feel more comfortable with.

—Do I have to join a brotherhood no matter what?— Adam asked, somewhat confused by the tailor's insistence on the matter —Are they like a group of friends?

—No, and certainly not — Elías replied, taking his black notebook and flipping to a specific page —However, there are no symbols for heroes unless you join a brotherhood. As for wizards, the story is more complex, and as for the lost characters' religion, to be honest, I don't remember the symbol. So, I need to ask you some questions to help the store embroider your tunic. Now, get comfortable on the armchair, and I'll clear everything from the table to prepare for the questions.

*Click*... Elías snapped his fingers, and the table was clean as if they had never had dessert and coffee cups on it.

*Click*... The teenager snapped his fingers again, and the extra armchair disappeared, leaving only two armchairs in front of the table.

Elías settled into his armchair, put his feet on the table, and said:

—In the wizard's religion, you could also join a brotherhood, and you wouldn't have to bother finding a mask. But the old man wanted to deceive you because he hates the wizard brotherhoods, even the ones in the ancient magical citadel.

—The process to join is just answering questions?— asked Adam, somewhat bewildered by the situation. He came to the store for a hooded tunic, and the tailor had just revealed an aspect of religions not mentioned in general knowledge books.

—You're already a wizard and a hero— Elías replied —You have already completed part of the process without realizing it. The other part usually involves answering questions. As for the lost characters' religion, I don't know if you meet the requirements. It's not a very common religion. But that is judged by the brotherhoods; I'm just an intermediary. You'll understand more later; for now, don't worry too much and answer the questions.

—So, there are requirements to join the brotherhoods?— Adam commented, seeking more information.

—Yes, quite a few...— Elías replied —Although most of the requirements are related to advancing in the religion associated with the brotherhood.

Elías flipped through his black notebook, read some pages, and added:

—Other than that, if you knew about any brotherhood, you could initiate the interview just by telling me its name, and I would arrange a meeting with the brotherhood's guide. For example, you could tell me you want to join the Eternals. If you pass the interview, you won't have to worry about the purge, and you might even help them with it.

Sudden doubts crossed Elías's mind, and he skimmed through several pages in his black notebook until he found a specific one. He read the page with some effort and then confidently added:

—However, you can never leave the brotherhood you choose. Keep in mind that the symbols on the tunics are not just an embroidery. Just in case, I'll tell you: you seem to be quite unaware of this subject...

—Couldn't you recommend some brotherhoods then?— asked Adam, quite impressed with the revelation.

Elías tossed the black notebook onto the table and put both hands behind his neck as he lazily replied:

—Precisely to help you, I need you to answer the questions. As for the rest, do you want me to help you find a brotherhood for the path of heroes, wizards, and lost characters, or just for heroes and lost characters? The wizard's brotherhood is one of those where you can choose not to join any other brotherhood, but you'd have to find the mask to get your symbol embroidered. Anyway, remember that once you choose, there's no turning back.

—Once in a lifetime...— Adam murmured, feeling ignored by the young tailor —Wouldn't it be better to read about the brotherhoods? I mean, it's a decision for a lifetime; it would be hasty to make it overnight.

—There's no book with that information, and the purge is approaching, Adam...— Elías commented with some annoyance —Only the old man and I can help you choose a suitable brotherhood on these floors. Consider that we are the only store that can modify tunics. As for the decision, do whatever you want, but remember that once you leave the store, there won't be a tailor to assist you if you change your mind because we'll have moved to the upper floors.

—Mmm, what do you recommend I do?— asked the young hero with doubts —As a tailor, you can surely give good advice on which decision to make.

—Join three brotherhoods— Elías replied immediately —Also, forget about finding a mask and choose a brotherhood for wizards. If the old man told you it's complicated to forge a mask, it's because it's impossible for you to do so.