Elena smoothed her hands over the fabric samples, pretending to focus on the wool blends while stealing gnces at Matthias across the shop.

  He was smiling at her.

  Actually smiling. Not the polite, professional smile he gave every customer. This was different—warmer, with a brightness in his eyes she'd never seen directed at her before.

  *The Goddess has truly blessed me.*

  It had been two weeks since Brother Aldric gave her the divine sight. Two weeks since she'd felt the Goddess's presence flow through her, showing her the truth of her devotion. And in those two weeks, everything had changed.

  Men noticed her now.

  It started small. The grocer who usually just took her coin and moved on to the next customer had lingered, asked about her day, complimented her dress. She'd thought it was coincidence. But then the guard at the market gate had smiled and waved her through without checking her basket. Then the man who tended her yard—quiet, serious Grady who'd worked for her for three years without more than a grunt—had started conversations. Asked her questions. Touched her hand when passing her the bill.

  And then they'd kissed.

  She'd been so shocked when he'd leaned in, his calloused hand cupping her cheek. But the kiss had been good. Gentle at first, then deeper, and something had awakened between her thighs —something warm and hungry that she'd buried for so long she'd almost forgotten it existed.

  *The Goddess rewards devotion,* Brother Aldric had said. *She gives us what we need to serve Her better.*

  And she did need this. Needed to feel wanted. To feel *seen*.

  The plumber had been different. Bolder. He'd come to fix her sink and stayed for dinner, and by the time the moon rose they were in her bed, his hands exploring her body with a hunger that made her feel alive in ways she'd never experienced.

  It was against the faith. Against everything she'd been taught about purity and restraint.

  But the Goddess had *given* her this. Had changed her, made her beautiful, made men want her. Surely that meant it was right. Surely this was part of Her pn.

  Elena looked at her reflection in the shop's mirror. She was different now. Her face had cleared—the spots she'd battled for years were gone. Her hair was thicker, shinier, falling in soft waves past her shoulders. Her body had changed too, curves appearing where there had been none, her posture straightening, her movements becoming more graceful.

  *Level 5 now. So close to Level 6.*

  "Elena?"

  She turned. Matthias was walking toward her, holding a bolt of deep blue fabric. His smile widened as he got closer.

  "I thought this might work for that cloak you wanted," he said, but his eyes weren't on the fabric. They were on her. "The color would look beautiful on you."

  Heat crept up her neck. "Thank you."

  He set the fabric on the counter and leaned against it, his posture casual but his attention completely focused on her. "You know, I've been meaning to say—you look different tely. Good different. Really good."

  Elena's heart fluttered. This was Matthias. *Matthias.* The man she'd admired from afar for two years, who'd never given her more than a polite nod when she came into his shop.

  "I've been... blessed," she said softly.

  "Blessed." He grinned. "I'd say so. Listen, I'll give you a discount on the fabric. And the stitching." He paused, his smile turning almost shy. "Consider it a thank you for being such a loyal customer."

  "That's very kind of you."

  "Actually, I was thinking..." He rubbed the back of his neck, and Elena realized with a jolt that he was nervous. Matthias, who was always so confident, so self-assured. "What are you doing tonight? Would you maybe want to get dinner? With me?"

  The world seemed to tilt slightly. Elena stared at him, barely able to process what she was hearing.

  *He's asking me out. Matthias is asking me out.*

  "I—yes," she said, the word coming out breathless. "Yes, I'd like that."

  His face lit up. "Really? That's—that's great. I'll pick you up at seven?"

  "Seven is perfect."

  She felt different as she left the shop, the blue fabric wrapped carefully under her arm. Taller. Stronger. More confident. Like she was finally becoming the woman she was meant to be.

  *The Goddess sees me. She knows what I need. She's rewarding my faith.*

  Then the interface appeared.

  It shimmered in her vision, transparent but clear, the familiar yout that still filled her with wonder every time she saw it.

  **PATH UNLOCKED: SEDUCTRESS**```New Skill Tree AvaibleCharm I: Increase base Charisma by +3Allure I: 10% increased effectiveness when influencing targets of romantic interest```

  **LEVEL PROGRESS**```Sister Elena - Level 5 Seductress InitiateCurrent XP: 890/1,500 to Level 6Path Progress: Seductress 15%```

  Elena's breath caught. A new path. A *new path.*

  She'd been working on her Herbalism and Community Service, but this—this was different. This was about what she wanted. What she'd always wanted but never admitted.

  To be desired. To be powerful in her beauty. To have men look at her the way Matthias had just looked at her.

  *Is this right?* The thought flickered through her mind, small and uncertain. *Is this what the Goddess wants for me?*

  But the interface was there, glowing softly, showing her the path forward. The Goddess had given her this gift. Had shown her this truth. Surely that meant it was holy. Surely this was Her will.

  Elena smiled and closed the interface with a thought.

  *Blessed be the Goddess,* she thought, and meant it with every fiber of her being.

  She walked home through the afternoon sun, her new fabric tucked under her arm, already pnning what she'd wear tonight. Already imagining Matthias's eyes on her across a candlelit table.

  The Goddess had rewarded her devotion.---

  Cornelius moved through the bank like smoke.

  The guards couldn't see him. He slipped past the first one at the door, his footsteps making no sound on the marble floor. Past the second one at the vault entrance, who yawned and checked his pocket watch, completely unaware.

  The vault door was closed. Locked. Three separate mechanisms, each one complex enough to keep out anyone without the proper authorization.

  Cornelius pced his hand on the cold metal and *knew* how to open it.

  His fingers found the first lock. Click. The second. Click. The third twisted smoothly under his touch, and the vault door swung open with a whisper.

  Inside, stacks of bills lined the shelves. Cornelius moved quickly, filling a canvas bag with more money than he'd ever seen in his life. Enough to save the house. Enough to save everything.

  *Thank you, Goddess. Thank you for showing me the way.*

  He turned to leave, the bag heavy over his shoulder—

  Cornelius jerked awake.

  His heart pounded. Sweat soaked through his shirt. He y in his narrow bed, staring at the ceiling of his small bedroom, trying to make sense of what he'd just experienced.

  A dream. Just a dream.

  But it had felt so *real*. The weight of the bag. The smoothness of the vault locks under his fingers. The way he'd moved through the bank like he belonged there, like he was invisible.

  Cornelius sat up slowly, rubbing his face. The pre-dawn light filtered through his thin curtains, gray and weak. Another day. Another day closer to losing everything.

  He needed coffee.

  Cornelius shuffled out of his bedroom, his bare feet cold on the wooden floor. The house was too quiet. It had been too quiet since Martha died two years ago. Too big for just him, but it was *his*. The only thing he had left of her. The only thing that mattered.

  And in three days, the bank was taking it.

  He'd prayed. Goddess, he'd prayed. Every night since the foreclosure notice arrived. Begged for help. For guidance. For *something*.

  Brother Aldric had told him the Goddess was listening. That she saw his devotion. That his faith would be rewarded.

  *Fat lot of good that's done me.*

  Cornelius pushed open the kitchen door and stopped.

  There was a bag on his kitchen table.

  A canvas bag.

  The same canvas bag from his dream.

  Cornelius's breath caught in his throat. He stood frozen in the doorway, staring at it. His heart started pounding again, the same way it had when he'd woken up.

  *No. That's impossible.*

  He took a step forward. Then another. The bag sat there, innocuous, the top loosely tied with twine.

  Cornelius reached out with a shaking hand and pulled the twine loose.

  The bag opened.

  Money.

  Stacks and stacks of bills, bundled neatly, filling the bag almost to the brim. More money than Cornelius had ever seen outside of a bank.

  *Outside of a bank.*

  "Oh, Goddess," Cornelius whispered.

  His legs felt weak. He pulled out a chair and sat down heavily, still staring at the bag. At the money that shouldn't be there. At the impossible, undeniable proof that his dream hadn't been a dream at all.

  He'd actually done it.

  He'd actually robbed a bank.

  The interface appeared without warning, shimmering into existence in front of him.

  **PATH UNLOCKED: INFILTRATOR**```New Skill Tree AvaibleStealth I: Move undetected in low-light conditionsLockbreaking I: Understand and manipute simple mechanical locksShadow Step I: Brief periods of enhanced movement speed```

  **LEVEL PROGRESS**```Brother Cornelius - Level 6 Infiltrator Initiate Current XP: 2,100/2,800 to Level 7Path Progress: Infiltrator 20%Recent Activity: High-Security Infiltration +800 XP```

  Cornelius stared at the words. *High-Security Infiltration.* The bank. The vault. The money sitting right in front of him.

  The Goddess had done this.

  She'd given him the power to save his home. To take what he needed when no one else would help him.

  *But it's stealing,* a small voice whispered in the back of his mind. *You broke into a bank. You took money that doesn't belong to you.*

  Cornelius looked around his kitchen. At the cracked pster on the walls. At the old stove that barely worked. At the table where he and Martha had eaten breakfast every morning for twenty years.

  In three days, the bank was going to take all of this away from him.

  The same bank he'd just robbed.

  *They were going to take my home,* Cornelius thought. *They were going to throw me out on the street. And I prayed. I prayed for help, and the Goddess answered.*

  He pulled one of the bundles of money out of the bag, feeling its weight. Real. Solid. Enough to pay off the foreclosure with plenty left over.

  *The Goddess provides,* Brother Aldric always said. *She gives us what we need to serve Her.*

  Cornelius set the bundle down carefully and closed his eyes.

  *Thank you,* he prayed silently. *Thank you for hearing me. Thank you for saving my home.*

  When he opened his eyes, the interface was still there, waiting.

  He focused on it, and more information appeared:

  **ACTIVE ABILITIES**```Stealth I: Active (Toggle on/off)Lockbreaking I: PassiveShadow Step I: Cooldown - 5 minutes```

  Cornelius reached out and mentally toggled Stealth on.

  The world shifted slightly. Colors muted. Shadows deepened. He looked down at his hands and saw them... blurred. Not invisible, but harder to focus on. Like he was slightly out of phase with reality.

  He stood up and walked to the window. Outside, his neighbor Mrs. Chen was hanging undry in her yard. Cornelius moved closer to the window, right up against it.

  Mrs. Chen looked up. Looked directly at the window. Her gaze passed over him like he wasn't there.

  Cornelius's breath caught.

  *The Goddess has blessed me,* he thought, wonder filling his chest. *She's given me the power to save myself when no one else would.*

  He toggled Stealth off and the world snapped back to normal. The interface minimized to a small icon at the edge of his vision, unobtrusive but always there.

  Cornelius looked at the bag of money again.

  Three days until foreclosure. Now he had enough to stop it. More than enough.

  *But the bank will notice the money is missing,* the small voice said. *They'll investigate. They'll—*

  Cornelius shook his head firmly. He was being practical. That's all. The bank had millions. Billions, probably. What he'd taken was a drop in the bucket to them. But to him? It was everything.

  And the Goddess had given it to him.

  He'd been the chapel groundskeeper for twenty years. Twenty years of faithful service, maintaining the gardens, repairing the stone walls, keeping the sacred space beautiful for the Goddess. And when he'd needed help, when Martha died and left him with debts he couldn't pay, the church could barely afford to keep paying his wages.

  But the Goddess herself had provided.

  *Blessed be the Goddess,* Cornelius thought, and began counting the money, pnning exactly how he'd pay off the foreclosure without raising suspicion.

  He'd take whatever he could get.

  The Goddess had provided, and he wasn't going to waste Her gift.