The albino goblin knight card rested on the wooden table, its silver-white surface catching the lanternlight like a blade drawn halfway from its sheath.
Jeather stared at it.
"Albino Goblin Knight," he muttered. "Temporary name."
Astrael leaned against the wall, arms crossed, crimson eyes glowing faintly.
"You are still proceeding with this?"
"Yes."
"It is a goblin."
"It's a knight."
"It is a goblin knight."
Jeather tilted his head slightly.
"You're really stuck on that."
"I am defending standards."
Jeather picked up the card and studied the figure within.
White skin like carved marble. Pale
armor layered in disciplined plating. A blade that shimmered even in confinement. And those red eyes—calm. Measured. Not feral like common goblins.
"She's different," Jeather murmured.
Astrael paused.
"She?"
"Look closer."
The sealed figure stood tall for her species—slender but not fragile. The armor curved slightly at the waist. The stance wasn't brutish.
It was refined.
"Ah," Astrael said flatly. "A refined goblin."
Jeather smirked.
"Still a goblin," Astrael added.
Jeather placed the card down gently.
"Captured beasts stay static," he said quietly. "Integrated beasts grow."
Astrael did not argue.
Because he understood that truth better than anyone.
The system flickered to life.
Integration Request Detected
Beast: Albino Goblin Knight (Variant – Female) Rank: Silver Status: Captured
Warning: Integration will bind evolutionary potential to host core.
Rename upon integration required.
Confirm?
Jeather's lips curled slightly.
"Confirm."
The card ignited in a column of silver-white radiance.
The wood beneath it scorched.
Mana surged forward like a drawn arrow.
The card dissolved into shards of light that struck directly into Jeather's chest.
Pain bloomed—sharp, radiant, absolute.
White energy traced across his left arm, forming intricate lines unlike Astrael's vine-wrapped sigil.
This mark was sharper.
Angular.
It formed the silhouette of a crowned helm with twin upward horns shaped like curved blades.
Beneath it, faint glyphs etched themselves in glowing script.
The energy pulsed once—
Then settled.
Jeather exhaled slowly.
"Renaming," the system whispered.
He didn't hesitate.
"Velkaria."
The air trembled.
The tattoo flared bright white.
Integration Complete
New Name Registered:
Velkaria, Ivory Oathblade
Rank: Silver (Growth Enabled)
Astrael straightened.
"That name carries weight."
"It should."
White light gathered before Jeather, condensing slowly into a physical form.
She stepped forward.
Velkaria stood taller than before—still goblin in lineage, but no longer merely that.
Her albino skin carried a faint pearlescent sheen. Her armor was no longer patched white plating but refined ivory steel etched with sacred patterns. A cloak of pale fur draped over one shoulder, fluttering though there was no wind.
Her blade had lengthened—narrow, elegant, glowing faintly at the edge like moonlight sharpened into steel.
An aura rolled outward from her in a controlled wave—disciplined, noble, resolute.
The room felt smaller.
Not because she was large.
But because her presence demanded space.
She dropped to one knee immediately.
"My Lord."
Her voice was calm. Clear. Not high-pitched.
Not shrill.
Measured.
Every word precise.
Jeather blinked once.
Then twice.
Astrael's eyes narrowed.
"You kneel quickly."
She did not look at him.
"My allegiance is not yours, Demon."
Astrael's aura flickered faintly in amusement.
Jeather cleared his throat.
"You can stand."
She rose smoothly in one controlled motion.
Red eyes met his.
"I, Velkaria, Ivory Oathblade, acknowledge integration. My strength, my blade, my oath—are yours, my Lord."
Jeather felt it.
Not obedience born of fear.
But oath-bound loyalty born of knightly code.
The connection between them pulsed steadily.
Different from Astrael.
Where Astrael felt ancient and sovereign—
Velkaria felt devoted and precise.
Astrael stepped closer, circling her slowly.
"You carry discipline uncommon for your species."
She turned her head slightly.
"I have discarded the limitations of my origin."
"Bold statement."
"Accurate one."
Jeather covered his mouth to hide a grin.
"This is already better than I expected."
He flexed his fingers.
The tattoo of Velkaria's sigil shimmered faintly beneath his skin.
He felt changes.
Subtle—but undeniable.
His stance straightened unconsciously.
His balance improved.
His reaction timing sharpened.
He drew a short blade from the table and tested a quick strike into the air.
Faster.
Cleaner.
More efficient.
Velkaria observed.
"Your posture favors frontal aggression, my Lord. I will compensate with lateral coverage."
Astrael snorted softly.
"She critiques you."
"She's helping," Jeather replied.
Velkaria's aura intensified slightly.
It wasn't wild like Astrael's forest-demonic pressure.
It was disciplined.
Like a battlefield command tent surrounded by banners and steel.
"Demonstrate," Jeather said.
Velkaria stepped forward.
In one fluid motion she pivoted, blade slicing a crescent arc through the air.
A shockwave of compressed mana rippled outward, splitting the lantern flame in two without extinguishing it.
The room vibrated faintly.
Controlled power.
Precision.
Astrael folded his arms.
"Acceptable."
She turned to him calmly.
"I require no validation from you."
Jeather burst out laughing.
"Oh, this is going to be entertaining."
Velkaria sheathed her blade across her back.
"My Lord."
"Yes?"
"If the Demon continues unnecessary commentary, I request permission to spar."
Astrael's eyes gleamed.
"You believe you would win?"
"I believe I would learn."
Jeather wiped his eyes.
"Denied. I'm not rebuilding this apartment."
Velkaria bowed her head slightly.
"As you command."
Jeather walked toward the window, feeling both presences within him.
Astrael—the Verdant demon whose power shook forests.
Velkaria—the Ivory Oathblade whose aura carried battlefield dignity.
He was no longer simply collecting.
He was assembling something.
Layer by layer.
Strategic.
Intentional.
He turned back toward them.
"Astrael."
"Yes."
"Thoughts?"
The demon studied Velkaria carefully.
"She is no longer merely a goblin."
Velkaria's gaze did not shift.
"You concede?"
"I acknowledge growth."
Jeather smirked.
"That sounds like respect."
Astrael sighed faintly.
"…She will be addressed by name."
Velkaria bowed her head slightly toward him.
"Your recognition is noted, Demon Astrael."
Jeather clapped once.
"Progress!"
He rolled his shoulders again.
The combined aura inside him felt heavier.
Stronger.
Balanced.
Not overwhelming—but structured.
He could feel synergy forming.
When Astrael's destructive aura expanded—
Velkaria's presence would anchor the battlefield.
When Velkaria engaged directly—
Astrael could suppress from range.
Tactical cohesion.
Layered dominance.
He walked slowly toward Velkaria.
"Anything else I should know?"
She met his gaze steadily.
"My Lord, integration has granted me adaptive growth. My potential exceeds prior limits.
However—"
She paused.
"—I request combat. Stagnation dishonors oath."
Jeather grinned faintly.
"Tomorrow."
Astrael tilted his head.
"You intend immediate field testing?"
"Yes."
Velkaria's red eyes gleamed.
"My blade awaits."
Jeather turned toward the table, grabbing his coat.
He looked back at both of them.
"I said I would live my life to the fullest."
Neither interrupted.
"And I will not let anyone get in my way."
The words didn't feel like a vow of blind revenge.
They felt like resolve.
Astrael's aura hummed low.
Velkaria rested her hand over her chest plate.
"We advance at your command, my Lord."
Jeather glanced once more at the white sigil etched along his arm.
Velkaria, Ivory Oathblade.
A name worthy of presence.
A knight reborn through integration.
He smiled faintly.
"Let's go test what the forest thinks about this."
And as the night settled over Ardent District—
Two auras stirred within him.
One ancient and verdant.
One ivory and sworn.
The collector had refined his standards.
And the battlefield would soon learn—
That even goblins, when given oath and name—
Could become legends.