Adam watched as Elías went to the back of the store and returned after a while with two wooden boxes. The boxes didn't seem to have anything special, except that Adam's name and identification number were engraved on their lids, suggesting they were designed specifically for him.

Elías placed one of the boxes on the wooden table where Adam was sitting and calmly explained:

—Only you can open the box: what's inside will help you get the options of the possible brotherhoods you can join by meeting their requirements.

Curious, Adam opened the box on the table to find 6 dice of different shapes and colors inside. Each die was carefully stored: they seemed glued to the wood, and each one had an oval lens covering it, as if to prevent dust from soiling them.

At the ends of the boxes, surrounding the space where the dice were stored, there were 6 marble figurines of various characters: all dressed in different types of armor and carrying some kind of weapon.

Interestingly, the shape of the 6 figurines was the same as the statues Adam saw in his first magical adventure: a man with a shield and sword, a woman with a bow, a dwarf with a bag full of dust, a goblin riding a robot, a mouse with a box full of nuts, and finally a mannequin with a pair of guns in its hands.

Elías looked at the contents of the box and said excitedly:

—How interesting! It's the first time I've seen the heroes' box, and it's identical to the villains'. Let's hope the "game" is just as fun.

—Are there so few heroes seeking brotherhoods?—Adam asked.

—I've only been working as a tailor for three months—Elías said with some pride at such a young age—So I don't know what's in the wizard's box. I hope it's something interesting!

—How do you gather information with these figurines and dice?—Adam asked.

Elías checked his black notebook again and read what it said:

—You take a figurine from the box, place it on the table, and roll a die. You repeat the action six times, and the figurines will ask you some questions based on the number you rolled with the dice. In the end, we'll get the possible brotherhoods they believe you can be useful to join.

—So, there are six brotherhoods in the heroes' religion?—Adam asked, looking at the 6 statues.

—No!—Elías replied firmly —Each figurine represents a chance, so you have 6 chances to contact a brotherhood for which you meet the requirements to join.

Adam followed the instructions and took the figurine of the man with the shield and sword. He placed it on the table and looked at the dice in the box. Each one had a different shape, and therefore, a different maximum number of possible outcomes. He didn't know how this randomness would affect his future.

—What are the differences between each die?—Adam asked.

—Don't pay attention to that; just choose the die you think is right for each character—Elías replied, with some excitement for the results.

Adam looked at the 6 dice and chose the one with the highest number of faces for the only character carrying a shield. The die was a D100 or a 100-sided die, resembling a ball made up of very small squares and, due to its yellowish color, seemed to be made of gold.

Adam rolled the die, but to his surprise, the moment it touched the table, it disappeared! Before he could react to this unprecedented result, the marble statue of the man with the shield on the table split in half, startling Adam.

—It seems you can't choose that brotherhood...—Elías commented as he cleaned the debris from the statue —Try another one. It's normal not to have more than three options available when you follow two religions at once.

Following the advice, Adam took the figurine of the woman with the bow and changed his strategy: he chose the smallest die, a D4 or a 4-sided die, which resembled a jade pyramid quite strikingly.

When Adam rolled the die on the table, it rolled and stopped, but then it started sinking into the table as if the wood were water until it disappeared from the sight of both librarians. Immediately after, the marble statue of the woman with the bow flew violently towards the fireplace and vanished into the flames.

—It seems this brotherhood despises you...—Elías said, covering his mouth to stifle laughter while looking at the flames in the fire.

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In silence, Adam took the figurine of the dwarf with the bag full of dust and placed it on the table. As soon as he put the figurine on the table, the lens covering the 20-sided die or D20 opened, and the die rolled on its own over the table to show a number.

The die was made of stone, making it difficult to see the numbers, but upon closer inspection, Adam saw he had rolled a 19.

—It seems this brotherhood is looking for you!—Elías commented with a smile at the result —It could be a good option to join them, but you still have to check with the other three figurines, or you won't be able to answer the dwarf's questions.

With more confidence, Adam took the goblin riding the robot, and as soon as he picked up the figurine, it turned to dust in his hands, and the D10 or 10-sided die also turned to dust without leaving the box.

—This brotherhood rejects you, and you don't meet their requirements—Elías commented, seeing the result —Only two more to go. I hope you have more than just one option.

Nervously due to the continuous poor results, Adam took the mouse with the box in its hands, placed it on the table, and then took the D6 or 6-sided die, which looked like a cube. The die was made of silver and was quite beautiful.

Adam rolled the silver die on the table, and it stopped to show the number one.

—It seems you have another option...—Elías commented. But as he said that, he noticed a small violet portal appearing on the table.

From the portal emerged a bandaged hand with magical characters written on the bandages. The hand quickly grabbed the figurine and disappeared back into the portal. The portal closed and vanished, leaving Adam and Elías stunned by the scene.

—What does this mean?—Adam asked, angry at having been teased by another successful chance.

Each time the young man failed, it seemed to have a meaning, and this time Adam noticed that the attempt seemed to have been successful, but a librarian shamelessly robbed him of the opportunity to join that brotherhood.

Seeing the scene, Elías opened his black notebook and flipped through several pages before finally saying:

—The truth is, I don't know what happened...—Elías commented, getting up from his chair and hurrying to the back of the store—Wait a minute. Don't touch the last figurine while I go ask Grandpa.

Adam stared at the fire as it burned until Elías returned and told him while sitting back down:

—That brotherhood currently doesn't want new members. That means you meet the conditions to join them, but the current members don't want you.

Dazed by the response, Adam took the last figurine of the mannequin with guns and placed it on the table. He then took the last die, an 8-sided die or D8, also made of wood and with no special attributes or striking appearance. When Adam rolled the die on the table, it stopped normally.

But before Adam could look at the number obtained, the mannequin with guns came to life and raised its guns, pointing at the die. It fired, and with two shots, destroyed the die. Immediately, the mannequin raised one of its guns to its head and pulled the trigger, causing its marble head to explode.

—You meet the conditions...—Elías commented, cleaning up the remains of the figurine —But this brotherhood no longer exists, so you can't choose it.

—So, I must join the brotherhood of the dwarf...—Adam commented, looking at the only figurine left on the table —Do I still have to answer the questions? If I have no other options, why not just embroider the symbol of this brotherhood directly?

Elías removed the wooden box from the table, leaving only the dwarf figurine and the D20 on the table, as he calmly replied:

—I don't know which brotherhood the dwarf represents. The figurines don't always symbolize the same thing, so you'll have to answer their questions to see which brotherhood you'll join.

—How will I hear their questions?—Adam asked, looking at the figurine on the table.

—Take the die on the table, and the figurine will speak to you—Elías said, sitting back in his armchair—The interviews can be quite strange, so I suggest you prepare for anything to happen.

With excitement, Adam took the die on the table, and immediately the figurine of the dwarf with the bag of dust came to life. The dwarf looked around suspiciously until he saw Adam; then a malicious smile formed on his face.

—We meet again, brat...—the dwarf commented with a slow voice, as if dragging the words to speak. His words echoed throughout the room, making it sound like he was speaking in every direction.

—Do we know each other?—Adam asked, feeling uncomfortable with the odd voice of the figurine.

—Yes, I am the guide of the brotherhood of hidden paths...—the figurine said, making his voice resound throughout the room, while looking at the table with suspicion: it seemed to want to make sure no other figurines were left on the table—Death won't change your decision: you belong to our brotherhood!

—Was I a hero in my past life too?—Adam asked, bewildered.

—No, of course not: this is not a brotherhood for prejudiced fools!—the dwarf refuted with a loud shout—But in my eyes, you have always been and will be a hero seeking forgotten paths, secret paths, and paths that will lead your race to its true destiny.

After saying that, the figurine began to disintegrate, revealing a transparent marble inside. Elías took the marble and told Adam:

—As I told you: you can't change your brotherhood voluntarily. You'll have to join the brotherhood of hidden paths because its members still require you.

—Am I obliged then?—Adam asked with doubts, although he didn't feel any kind of change.

—Yes, you made an oath in your previous life—Elías commented—The reality is that you've always been a member of this brotherhood, even if you seem to have forgotten it. You'd better try to remember why you joined them in the first place; based on what the figurine said, I'm not sure if it's a brotherhood for heroes, but I am sure that this guide really wanted you in their brotherhood, so you more than meet their conditions.

—So, if I already belong to one brotherhood, can I still choose another brotherhood for mages?—Adam asked, looking at the other box on the floor—Or did I miss my chance to choose?

—You didn't lose anything; you can still choose another brotherhood for another religion,—Elías replied calmly—But keep in mind that you can only choose one brotherhood per religion: what could happen is that no mage brotherhood wants you because you're already a member of another brotherhood. In that case, you wouldn't be able to join a mage brotherhood through this method and would have to follow the pure path of your religion.