After exploring Dead House tonight, without finding anything important, I reflect back on Maggie's warning, as well as what Lucy gathered from another scouting mission: Slappy had also gained control over Iris, but since she couldn't do magic without Maggie, the monsters have been searching for the crow, only to find nothing. Of course, it would be understandably hard to find something that can vanish into a literal shadow and move unseen.

Since tonight's search was all-too easy, I moved to investigate the backyard graveyard. Now that I think about it, this is the first time I'm here WITHOUT the presence of danger. There's a bunch of names on the tombstones, at least those that HAVE names. There's Ghoulsberg, Walker, Jed, Redfield, and Everett. It also lists how they died, too. Shot, mauled, electrocuted, burned, bitten, and there's also a grave that says that one guy's death is "too gruesome to tell".

That's when I notice something: The graves have been dug open, but the caskets are sealed shut. I can't even get them open! But on one of the coffins is…ew! A dead spider!

It looks like a tarantula, but…it's drooling some kind of venom. It's melted through the wood, showing the deathly skull-like face of the corpse inside. Yuck…

That's when I see the Dark Tome in my backpack glowing green. I take it out, and it suddenly flips open to a blank page, then sucks in the dead spider like a Mystic Manuscript! Woah! The corpse soon becomes ink on the page, with more ancient text transforming into English.

"Arachnis Deathicus." I read. "A mutant spider far deadlier than its other arachnid kin. Its bite can instantly paralyze a victim, and the poisonous venom it delivers with said bite can kill even the largest and deadliest of monsters in a matter of minutes. Highly dangerous. Avoid with caution."

Woah…I guess I should be glad that it's dead. Unless it comes back as a zombie spider. Is that even a thing? I think that it is, and that fungus just creeps me out! Eugh…

So…the Dark Tome can double as a powerful Mystic Manuscript? It seems far more powerful than an ordinary one. The vortex was green and seemed twice as powerful, if not ten times as much! And here I thought it was another ancient bestiary!

I've told the others of how it seems to be magical with the self page turning and the glowing, but this? Man, this is a game changer! I wonder…is there any monster out there that can resist its immense pull?

LISA

After school the next day, we're back to hunter training with the Darks and Banks. As cool as a powerful Super Mystic Manuscript sounds, we're gonna have to give it a test drive another day. If the backyard of Shadow House isn't an option, we can fall back to the woods. There's a section where no one will be able to see or hear us. I've even mapped the place! It's practically impossible to get lost anymore! Man, past Cory would've loved this. Then again, if he never got lost, I'd never make this map in the first place…

"You've made quite some progress, I can tell." Lucy says. "So why don't we review for the final exam?"

"Oh great, like I don't have ENOUGH of those at school." I groan. "Good thing this is one I'll like."

"Don't worry, it's after all your others." She adds. "Now, let's start with the basics of the Hunter Code. Number One: Always be afraid."

"Wait, huh? Aren't hunters supposed to be brave and fearless?"

"True, but they are only brave and fearless BECAUSE of their fear. Fear heightens your instincts and senses. It kicks in your primal urge to survive no matter what. Fear and courage are two sides of the same coin. If you don't know or feel fear, you can't know or feel courage either."

"So…hunters do what they do…because they're complete cowards?"

"Some people act more differently than others when frightened beyond belief. For example, what would someone normally do in a hunter's situation?"

"Duh. They run away." Cory ran from the Brewer Clone when they first met, didn't they?

"Unless the monster can catch them in seconds and kill them, which they usually are able to do. Hunters know this, and thus know that running away is pointless and only hastens their demise. Thus, that leaves them only one option left."

"Fight rather than flight…" I realize. My mind recalls when Cory was caught by the clone, but used that weed killer to fight back in desperation.

"Only with the right knowledge and weapons can a hunter succeed in killing its prey." Lucy continues. "Know your enemy. And know yourself."

Ah, Sun Tzu. Classic wisdom. Cory just happened to be lucky back then. Had there been no weed killer outside the shed, he would've been fertilizer. Who knows? Maybe someone like Mr. B put it there knowing this?

"Tell me, Lisa. What are you afraid of?"

"Uhhhhh…." I gulp. "Okay, this is rather embarrassing but…I'm terrified to death over cute kid stuff. Like Dora, Teletubbies, Care Bears…you get the picture."

"Ah, Atisidasophibia." Lucy notes. "The fear of cuteness. The best way to face those fears is to embrace them. I want you to face any monster as if they're like Little Bear. Got it? Picture what you fear the most, and your amulet will conjure arcane holograms of those enemies for you to face."

Ulp. I'm not sure if I can stomach picturing stuff like Lucy and Slappy as kawaii anime.

I only ready my armor as my amulet glows. Here goes nothing.

Soon enough, from purple magic emerge life-sized teddy bears, all ready for a hug. Eugh…

They surround me, leaving nowhere for me to run to. Which leaves only one option.

"Each phobia can only be overcome in a specific way. Once you do so, you will be one step closer to conquering your fear and embracing it." Lucy says. "Now…begin."

I brace myself from the joyish "YAAAAAAY!" as the bears run towards me. Oh man…what I'd give to be Cory right now…

CORY

Kinemortophobia. The fear of zombies. This is what I have to embrace in order to survive against the Phobian target dummies my amulet summoned.

"GRAAAAAAHHHHH!"

My sword lodges deep into the brain of another zombie as the horde surrounds me. They die easily, but there's so many of them! One bite, and it's over…

Go for the head. My mind screams this over and over. ALWAYS go for the head! Kill the brain, and you kill the ghoul. I decapitate another, green blood spewing from the neck wound, and I kick the head into another zombie.

But they just keep coming. And I feel myself begin to tire out. This is the strategy.

Eventually I'll get disarmed. But that's when I remember a powerful spell. But it's risky. Stay in it for too long, and it's an insta-kill.

"Torva Messor…"

My body feels ghostlike as I gain a black aura. A zombie manages to grab me, but the very second it touches me, the brain shuts down and it drops dead. I simply touch another zombie, and it dies again.

A poke to the head makes another zombie's brain blow up. Man, the death touch is OP! But I can only maintain it for a full minute. Here goes nothing…

I manage to run through the woods, killing as many zombies as I can with just punches or allowing them to grab me. Finally, once I kill the last zombie, I manage to dispel this dark power when I only have 5 seconds left. My heartbeat slowly returns to normal, thankfully not dying anytime soon.

That's when I see Lisa facing her own test. Apparently, hugging a large teddy bear makes it shake with an "EEEEEEEE!" and explode into confetti, bursting with joy from the magic of friendship and love.

"Okay…" She says. "I think that's all of them. So much for slicing and dicing. Who knew cute bears can never die from violence?"

"Hey, sometimes you gotta kill 'em with kindness." I say. "Had to kill a bunch of zombies. Jealous?"

"Ok, kinda." She says. "You do know we're still afraid of them, right?"

"Yeah, Randy told me. At least we've embraced them."

"Rule Number One. Hunter's Code. I'd say you mastered it before you even knew of it."

"Yeah…" I think back to my first monster kill. "I have…"

Soon, I won't need luck. Once we weaponize this fear of ours, the fear of Slappy, his monsters, and his plan succeeding, we'll finally be able to show him just how scared we can REALLY be…