Meanwhile, Steve hurried through the town square, his camera bag bouncing against his hip, his heart hammering in his chest.
He'd seen it through the camera lens—seen it clearly, impossibly clearly.
Lines. Geometric patterns spreading across the chapel's walls like a disease. Perfect right angles where the stone should have been rough and organic. And worse—much worse—when he'd pointed the camera at Brother Aldric himself, he'd seen them on the man's skin.
Grid patterns. Faint but growing more defined with each passing moment. Spreading from Aldric's chest outward, creeping up his neck, branching down his arms beneath his robes like circuitry, like infection, like something fundamentally *wrong* trying to look holy.
He needed to find Hansel *now*.
---
Thomas caught his reflection in the mirror wall and stopped mid-rep, the barbell suspended in his grip.
That couldn't be him.
The shoulders were too broad. The arms too thick. The chest pressing against his shirt—a shirt that had fit loosely three weeks ago—was dense with muscle that hadn't been there before.
He set the barbell down carefully and walked closer to the mirror, staring at the stranger wearing his face.
*The Goddess has blessed me.*
It had been three weeks since Brother Aldric gave him the divine sight. Three weeks since he'd pced his hand on that leather-bound book and felt something fundamental shift inside him. Three weeks since the interface had appeared, showing him his truth:
**Thomas - Level 2 Lay Follower**
Level 2. The lowest of all five of them in that basement. He'd felt ashamed, seeing how far behind he was. Elena was Level 3. Marcus Level 4. Cornelius Level 5.
But Brother Aldric had smiled kindly and told him that level wasn't everything. That his Faith attribute—sitting at a remarkable 16—showed the Goddess saw his devotion clearly.
Thomas flexed experimentally. His bicep swelled, thick and defined. Three weeks ago, his arms had been sticks. Scrawny, weak things that could barely lift the empty barbell.
Now he was pressing two hundred pounds.
"Holy shit, man."
Thomas turned. Derek, one of the regurs, was staring at him with open disbelief. Derek had been coming to this gym for years, his body carved from countless hours of disciplined work.
"What are you on?" Derek asked, walking closer. "Seriously. I've been watching you, and you've put on like thirty pounds of muscle in what, two weeks? Three?"
"I'm not on anything," Thomas said, which was true. No steroids. No supplements beyond basic protein powder.
Just the Goddess's blessing.
"Bullshit." Derek circled him, examining. "Nobody gains like this naturally. You're either cycling something heavy or you've got the best genetics I've ever seen." He shook his head. "Whatever your stack is, I want in."
Thomas felt a flicker of pride. Derek had ignored him for months, treating him like part of the gym equipment. Now he was asking *Thomas* for advice.
"It's not drugs," Thomas said. "I've just been... blessed."
Derek ughed. "Yeah, blessed with a good dealer." He cpped Thomas on the shoulder—a gesture that would have knocked him sideways a month ago but now barely registered. "Seriously though, you look good. Keep it up."
Thomas watched him walk away, then turned back to the mirror.
The interface shimmered into view, transparent but clear:
**LEVEL PROGRESS**```Thomas - Level 4 Warrior InitiateCurrent XP: 1,450/2,000 to Level 5STR: 18 (+6 from base)Path Progress: Warrior 28%```
**RECENT GAINS**```Strength training +50 XPPhysical transformation milestone +100 XPSocial recognition +25 XP```
Level 4. He'd jumped two full levels in three weeks. His Strength had nearly doubled. And the Warrior path—he hadn't even known about it until the interface offered it to him after his first week of training.
**PATH: WARRIOR**```New Skill Tree AvaiblePower I: +3 base StrengthEndurance I: Reduced fatigue during physical activityIntimidating Presence I: +2 Charisma when interacting with those weaker than you```
Thomas had taken all three immediately. Why wouldn't he? The Goddess was showing him exactly how to become what he'd always wanted to be.
Strong. Powerful. *Noticed.*
"Excuse me?"
Thomas turned. A woman stood behind him, mid-twenties, athletic build, dark hair pulled back in a ponytail. She was smiling at him in a way that made his stomach flip.
"Sorry to bother you," she said, "but I was wondering if you could spot me? I'm trying to increase my bench press and..." She gnced at his chest, his arms. "You look like you know what you're doing."
Thomas felt heat creep up his neck. "I—yeah. Sure. I can spot you."
Her smile widened. "Thanks. I'm Cire, by the way."
"Thomas."
"Well, Thomas, I really appreciate it." She touched his arm lightly, her fingers warm against his skin. "Maybe after, if you have time, you could show me your routine? I'd love to know how you built... all of this."
She gestured at him, and Thomas realized with a jolt that she was *interested*. Actually interested. In him.
Women never looked at him like this. Never touched him casually, never asked for his help, never smiled at him with that particur warmth in their eyes.
*The Goddess rewards devotion,* Brother Aldric had said. *She gives us what we need to serve Her better.*
"Yeah," Thomas managed. "I'd be happy to."
He followed Cire to the bench press, hyper-aware of her presence beside him, of the way other men in the gym gnced at her and then at him with something that looked like envy.
*Thank you,* Thomas prayed silently as he positioned himself to spot her. *Thank you for seeing me. Thank you for making me strong.*
The interface chimed softly:
**ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED**```First Admirer: Successfully attract romantic interest through physical transformationReward: +50 XP, +1 Charisma```
Thomas smiled and focused on Cire, on her grateful expression as she settled under the barbell, on the way she looked at him like he was someone worth noticing.
The Goddess had blessed him.
And he was going to make the most of it.
