Bridges new host.

85th of Hunter's Moon, Ava. 719

A sleepless night followed by a sleepless day.  Last night I met the vampire named Thatu. 

I found his estate to be suspiciously unguarded.  The dust-riddled skeletons of dead vampires surrounded the entrance, their fanged skulls being the only evidence of their former immortality. 

Father, I drew the sword you had made for me.  Its sigils and lines brought a familiar comfort to this unholy place.  My footfalls sounded like the march of a phalanx in the silence that surrounded me, and I was sure I would be beset upon at any moment.

I found him sitting at the end of a long, dark dining gallery, papers and books spread before him.  Had I no knowledge of who he was, I might have taken pity on him.  He seemed so small, sitting all alone in that massive room. 

I could see the blade resting against his golden chair.  Then, as if he could sense me eyeing his treasure, the creature leapt into the air and swung the sword at my chest.

The battle was hard-fought.  I had learned in training that the first cut of a swordfight was the most painful.  It was meant to inure us to the fear of the blade.  I myself have been cut many times in battle.  But now I could not allow even a single slice to get past my defenses. 

His swings were wild and unfocused, and it was then that I realized he was fighting for his dignity, not for his life.  For reasons I still cannot fully understand, this creature wanted me to kill him.  Strangely, this revelation made him less of an enemy to me, but an enemy nonetheless. 

I pray for Avacyn's forgiveness, for I obliged his wish.  As he lay on the tiled floor looking up at me, he said words that haunt me still: "This is the blade that will kill your father.  Bringing it to him will seal his fate!"