They found themselves in a corridor of white wood walls and floors that none of them could recall traveling to. Through lattices along the walls a vibrant expanse of black and violet speckled with faint stars could be seen outside, the hallway well-lit despite the lack of a well-established light source.

Lola felt present, yet could not sense an overall weight to her body. Venice, Rook, and Aurora were all with her in the hall but each of them seemed off to her. None of them had the same scents or overall presence that she’d been aware of previously. Looking at them seemed more reminiscent of a memory or a dream than the friends she knew.

A short distance from where they stood, a tall entryway was visible with a young human woman behind a desk stationed in front of it. She was dressed in a suit that would normally be better fitted to a man, a silk blouse with frills visible through the neck opening of her coat. The majority of her dark brown hair was pulled tightly into a bun behind her head, while two stray curls fell in front of her face. Heavy mascara and blush decorated her features, her rose-red lips twitching as she seemed to be chewing on something. She appeared to be filing her nails as she looked up and caught Lola’s gaze.

"Hello, and welcome to the Land of the Dead," she greeted in an almost monotone voice. "My name is Janet, Arch Spirit of Deathflow Records. How may I help you in your transition into the afterlife?"

Lola and her friends looked from one to another in shock. "We’re dead?" Venice exclaimed.

"You usually are when you end up here," Janet replied. "Don’t be too upset, sweetie, it happens to everyone eventually. Names, please."

"Hikaru Lola," the Buhund offered unenthusiastically.

The Arch Spirit began looking through a small wheel of cards on her desk that appeared to be some sort of record-keeping system. "Let’s see … Hikaru Jagdish, Hikaru Kaede, Hikaru Lola! Here we are!" she uttered loudly to herself as she sorted through the directory. "Okay, let’s have a look. Born, Water-Bearer Moon. Cause of death: crushed by rubble. Piggy-backed onto new lifeline, shared with other being. Warning: Amended lifeline confidential—do not tell record’s subject or third parties related to her."

Janet bit her bottom lip.

"What was that? Amended lifeline? Repeat what you just said!" Lola demanded.

"Whoops," the Arch Spirit squeaked in embarrassment, as she spun the directory to hide the card she’d just read. "Forget you heard that."

"Janet!" a booming voice sounded down the corridor. "Would you like to explain why I found a crowd of dead souls in the Celestial Rice Fields?"

The group turned their heads to see a very tall humanoid skeleton in a robe marching its way toward them, its eyes seething with a furious purple glow. "Would you also like to add an explanation as to why you’re reading a living being sealed records?" it added.

Janet seemed unmoved by the being yelling at her. "I’m on lunch. Take it up with the union," she growled back.

The skeleton stomped up to her and threw its hands down on the desk angrily. "We’re not material beings. There’s no need for a lunch hour or a union!" it fumed at her. "You’re supposed to keep the Deathflow going steadily to keep the spirit and material worlds balanced. Now, do your job or I’ll talk with the Grand Spirits about replacing you with an Arch Spirit with a better attitude!"

Janet fell silent, merely proceeding to glare back at the tall skeleton.

"That’s what I thought," it replied as it turned away from her desk.

The being directed its attention at Lola and her friends. "I’ve been looking for the lot of you as well," he continued. "I’m Grim, the Arch Spirit of Death—Underling to Inah, the High Spirit of Death. All of you have been brought here through an out-of-body experience, in order to give testimony at a trial."

"A trial?" Rook asked. "Dare I ask who it is on trial?"

The looming Arch Spirit let out a heavy sigh. "You will find out when we arrive," he answered. "Follow me."

Grim turned back in the direction he’d arrived from, motioning with his hand for the group to proceed behind him. Lola looked to her friends before reluctantly turning to follow the Arch Spirit, all of them following her shortly after.

The hallway blurred around them as they strode, their footsteps doing little to move them forward during the visible haze of the corridor. Within a split second, they found themselves outside yet another tall doorway, a tall arch made of ivory-white wood. The entryway’s doors appeared to be made of a jagged marbling of the same white wood mixed with ebony darker than the nights of the Empty Sky itself. "That was quick," Lola noted out loud.

Grim glanced back at her, the purple glow of his eye sockets meeting her gaze. "In the Spirit World, the concept of distance is irrelevant," he explained. "Now you must hurry inside. They’re becoming impatient."

He stood to the side of the entryway, beckoning for them to enter. The doors gave a slight shudder in response, letting forth a loud yet brief clatter. They began creaking open slowly as a bright light spilled forth from behind them.

Lola found herself squinting uncomfortably when the light washed over her and her vision faded to white. "Hikaru Lola," a woman’s voice thundered. "Daughter of Hikaru Sandara and Champion of the High Spirits of the Sky."

The Buhund’s vision refocused and she found herself standing before three towering figures. All three of them sat atop their own individual silver pedestal, looming above her. She examined them from left to right, taking in the beings’ appearances.

To Lola’s left, right from the center, sat a figure with the body of a woman and the head of an owl. She was dressed in a white gown, which several layers of bronze armor had been layered atop—a helmet of the very same metal sat on her head, and made no effort to cover her face. In her right hand, she held a golden spear in an unnervingly tight grip.

The figure to Lola’s right, left from the center, appeared to be a human man with the head of a brown bear. A headdress made from the skin of an elk covered his head, adorned with black and white feathers. His clothing seemed to be cobbled together from numerous pelts and furs.

In the center of the two was a being that had the body of a man and the head of an elephant. He wore a headdress of gold lined with semiprecious jewels, while the rest of his form was adorned with silk clothing and countless strings of beads.

"You stand before the Grand Spirits to give testimony regarding a transgression of one among the Spirit Order’s numbers," the owl woman spoke to her in the same voice Lola had heard when she’d entered. "Do you swear on the sanctity of your own soul contract to speak only the truth?"

The Buhund hesitated to answer as she stood below the three beings. Confused and frustrated by the situation she wished nothing more to demand an explanation … to know what she was testifying about. However, when she attempted to bring such words forth she found that they simply would not carry into the air. It felt as if she’d been blocked from giving any other answer than the one she knew the Grand Spirits wanted to hear.

She gave a low growl under her breath before finally speaking. "Yes, I do."

"You died by the hand of the Witch of the Iron Chains, did you not?" the owl spirit questioned. "Yet you stand here before us, still linked to a mortal body. The court demands an elaboration."

"I did die, but Amah brought me back to life," Lola responded. "What does it matter?"

"Oh dear," the bear spirit uttered.

The elephant-faced spirit turned to him. "It appears the dog child is unaware of the detailed rules of the natural order," he wearied.

Lola felt a feeling of dread tighten over her heart as the three Grand Spirits spoke amongst each other. "Child, you’re aware that even the most powerful magics cannot bring a material being back from the dead?" the bear spirit explained. "Dead is dead. Your original lifeline was intended to expire when you died by Reanja delle Catene di Ferro’s hands."

"B-but then, how am I-I alive?" the Buhund stammered.

The owl spirit looked to Lola, her glance moving to the space beside the dog. "Perhaps you can offer an explanation, Amah?" the Grand Spirit inquired.

Lola noticed that Amah was suddenly standing beside her, the golden sun spirit’s face awash with anger and embarrassment. She struggled to stay silent for several seconds before testimony came flooding forth from her mouth. "Her spirit was affixed to the lifeline of another living being," she bellowed.

"And who was this living being?" the owl spirit prodded further.

The sun spirit continued to struggle against saying anything further, her face scrunched up tightly in a pained expression. "Venice D’Fiamma, Lady Athena," she answered weakly.

"What?" Venice exclaimed, suddenly becoming visible at Lola’s opposite side.

"You were unaware of this?" Athena queried. "Perhaps you were too distracted, reveling in the miracle you thought you’d received?"

"We knew nothing of it," the carpenter responded defensively.

Overcome with frustration, Lola kept trying to push forth questions of her own. The words simply refused to move from her mind to her mouth regardless of how desperately she wanted to speak them. Almost as if it were branded there with a hot iron her first and foremost question stuck out so vividly in her mind. She focused her attention on it as it repeated itself over and over again in her head like an unending echo. "How are you able to for answers out of us?" she demanded. "Why can’t I speak like I normally would?"

The Grand Spirits’ eyes widened at her question. "She’s broken the court’s truth field," the bear spirit noted. "Unusual for a material being, wouldn’t you agree?"

"Very much so," the elephant spirit affirmed.

"The reason you’ve been giving answers by force is because of the Spirit Court’s truth field," Athena answered. "It allows us to collect truthful testimony and limit needless hearsay."

"Although it appears that you’ve broken free of its influence," the bear spirit commented. "It’s a rare feat, although not unheard of. Do you remember the last one who managed that, Ganesh?"

The elephant spirit very visibly rolled his eyes at the bear spirit. "Honestly, Alignak … May we avoid getting sidetracked here?"

Athena slammed the blunt end of her spear into the top of her podium, grabbing the attention of the room. "This is a very serious matter," she insisted. "Do any of you realize the full repercussions of Amah’s actions?"

Rook and Aurora suddenly became visible alongside Venice, both of them standing silently as they shook their heads. "When the sun, moon, and stars were returned to the sky it had already been several years that the world survived in an unbalanced state," Ganesh elaborated. "During the days of the Empty Sky, the world outside of Prithvi vanished completely into the darkness. That section of Lumea temporarily ceased to exist and time there stood still, the same became true for the entire Spirit World as well. With the Spirit World gone, any magics linked to the Spirits that were left in the material world began to weaken. One of those magics was the ward that had trapped Mikaboh beneath the planet’s crust: the Tectonic Seal."

"Upon her reawakening, Amah had the opportunity to immediately reaffirm that spell," Alignak continued. "Instead of doing so she decided to use a large burst of her own magic, as well as magic siphoned from Igah and Imah without consent, to attach a Buhund’s soul to her human companion’s lifeline before it could enter the Land of the Dead. As a result, Mikaboh was able to escape from his bindings and is now free to wreak havoc in the material plane."

"Furthermore, tampering with a soul contract can have a devastating price," Athena asserted. "What Amah has done is something that has never been done to a soul contract before. The moment she bound Hikaru Lola to Venice D’Fiamma’s lifeline it disrupted the flow of life and death … causing a shock wave of chaotic energy spread through the Spirit World, serving to weaken it. It will take a great deal of time for it to recover, and that is why we are powerless to contain Mikaboh. She has doomed both worlds!"

Ganesh shook his head. "I had hoped you had learned from your previous mistakes, Amah," he wearied. "We have no choice but to issue punishment for these transgressions."

Tsu appeared behind Amah, as motionless as everyone else present. A golden light rose forth from the sun spirit’s body as she winced in pain. The globe of light descended into the body of the moon spirit, a solemn expression frozen upon his face.

"The sun of Lumea has been unlinked from you, Amah. For the time being your brother, Tsu, the High Spirit of the Moon, will govern its power," the elephant spirit explained. "As punishment for your misdeeds, you will be sealed in the form of a corporeal being for a full lifetime. We hope in that time you will reflect upon what you’ve done while our realm slowly heals."

Amah’s lips trembled as she labored forth a question. "Will I have to be a sparrow again?"

Athena glared at her. "Much worse, dear. You’re going to be a human."

#

Carter had busied himself attempting to wake up his comrades, feeling a deep sense of unease at their extended unconsciousness. Loud noises and buckets of water had failed to rouse any of them despite his hopes that they would. After several failed attempts he’d subsided to shaking Venice awake as a last resort, the carpenter’s face lifelessly flying from side to side as Carter stood over him.

"Carter, what on Lumea are you doing?" Wesley inquired.

"It’s a little something called tough love," he responded. "They’ve got to wake up sometime!"

"Why are you only shaking Venice, then?" Jakea interjected from her seat in the corner of the room.

Carter paused as he briefly glanced at the bedridden dog, rooster, and young woman behind him. "You honestly expect me to do this to a woman or an animal? I’m not a monster," he retorted.

A rush of air ran through the room, causing the small bit dust on the floor to become airborne. Lola and her friends weakly opened their eyes. "Don’t tell me that you shaking him actually worked," Wesley groaned.

Lola let out a huff and rose to her feet.

"Are you all right?" Jakea asked.

"It’s fine, just an involuntary out-of-body experience," Lola retorted facetiously.

Wesley and Carter looked to each other, visibly confused by the dog’s explanation. "What?" they uttered simultaneously.

"Their minds were temporarily removed from their bodies," Jakea advised. "The Spirit Order doesn’t do it often, though. It must’ve been very important."

Lola shimmied out her body vigorously, her ears making a loud flapping sound as she shook. She sighed in frustration. "They put Amah on trial," she wearied. "She’s in trouble because that creepy dude got free, and it’s all because she revived me. The Spirit Order is too weak to fight him."

"Wait, how is her reviving you related to tall, pale, and spooky crawling his way out of the ground?" Wesley interrogated.

"All magic comes with a price," Jakea asserted. "The more powerful it is, the bigger the cost."

Venice rose from his bed, rubbing the sides of his face in agony. "Lola’s lifeline was set to expire when she was originally killed by Reanja," he explained. "In order to bring her back, Amah bound her to my lifeline. We’re sharing it now, apparently."

Jakea let out a low hum as she pondered upon the matter. "That’s unheard of," the fledgling Sage remarked. "I’m guessing it caused some kind of disruption that weakened the Spirit World."

"That much has been established!" a woman’s voice called from outside.

Footsteps could be heard scurrying outside as two pairs of feet made their way inside the building. "Where are we, anyway?" Rook asked.

"You remember that old lady who dragged Carter and I off to the hot springs?" Wesley responded. "She’s one in a long line of innkeepers. This is her place."

The room’s door slid open, a young woman dressed in beige robes standing in the entryway. She panted heavily as she leaned against the door frame trying to catch her breath, her tan face beaded with sweat. "Oh, how I’ve not missed mortality," she wheezed.

Another young woman walked up behind her, visibly not sharing the girl’s fatigue. "Uzhu, how is it that you’re not winded?" the beige-robed girl implored.

"Probably because I didn’t run up the stairs," the other young woman answered.

Lola tilted her head as she examined the girl carefully. "Amah, is that you?" she questioned.

The young woman nodded in reply. "I suppose I should feel grateful that they manifested me near your group."

The now material Amah limped over to the bed nearest to the door, seating herself on its edge. "Give me a moment," the girl panted.

"Uzhu, why are you human?" Venice inquired, his glance locked on her.

The once porcelain being’s skin was now a fair shade of peach, her cheeks remaining perpetually rosy in spite of the change. She stepped carefully into the room, still maintaining the grace and poise she’d shown in her non-material form. "I’m here as a favor to my husband," Uzhu elaborated. "With the knowledge that Mikaboh’s release was going to set some rather unfortunate events in motion, he felt it necessary to send an emissary with Amah to provide assistance."

"And you were his first choice?" Lola interjected. "You don’t look like a woman built for combat."

A sharp frown formed across the material festival spirit’s face. "I was what he and the Grand Spirits settled upon," she huffed. "The High Spirits representative of the forces of nature were all poised to become human for this task, but they refused to spare them. I volunteered in their stead."

"So in spite of everything, the Spirit Council has a plan for stopping Mikaboh?" Aurora inquired.

Uzhu shook her head. "None whatsoever," she sighed.

"There is no stopping him," Amah explained. "He cannot be destroyed. He can only be trapped, and the magic we used to trap him is one we do not have the strength to cast again. At least not now."

A knocking sounded from the open doorway. The group turned their sights to the entry to see Betty Ann Souci standing in it, her hand knocking softly against the wood. "If you younguns are done feeling sorry for yerselves, we require your presence outside."

#

They silently followed the female Sage down the long wooden stairs leading from the inn to the coast below. A vermillion tinge washed over the beach as the sun attempted to rise from behind the ocean horizon in the distance. Not far from were the steps met the sand they could see a large wooden construct casting a wide shadow as it sat bathed in the morning twilight. Standing in front of it was Doug, who was in the company of both Sam and Emma.

The construct itself appeared to be a long cart, its rear component instantly recognizable as what had previously been Betty’s caravan—its green and gold painted wood standing out against the rest of the mechanism’s construction which was painted a simple brown. Two additional caravans appeared to have been joined with the one in the rear to form a larger vehicle. A smokestack similar to one on the ferry they’d ridden onto the island protruded from the top of the front-most car.

Sam let out a raspy bark as they approached, calling Doug’s attention to them. The Sage turned his head and waved to the group. "Good to see you lot are all right," he called. "You’d best get your things packed up and ready to go."

"Ready to go? Where? And what on Lumea is that monstrosity?" Venice inquired.

The side door on the front car opened, a hulking figure of a man stepping out. "The engine is ready and none of the enchantments are in conflict," Ogoun divulged. "It should be safe for travel."

Doug grinned widely. "This is an auto-caravan," he explained as he tapped his walking stick against the vehicle. "We put it together with Ogoun’s help while you were indisposed."

"Using my caravan, and two donated by merchants from the festival—along with a ferry engine given to us by the Jiguan Ferry Company—this thing should be able to get where we’re going," Betty gloated.

"Which is where?" Amah asked.

Ogoun crept close to her. His eyes carried a piercingly serious expression, numerous chips in his polished coating showing through to the dull metal underneath. He’d obviously been hard at work. "Do you recall the Witching War six centuries ago, and the civilizations that were lost because of them?" the metal spirit asked.

"Much to my dismay, I do," the former sun spirit answered.

Ogoun shook his head, in clear disdain at the memories he was about to recall. "Before that particular war began, I bequeathed to the Ancient Terrans a weapon that I forged thousands of years prior for safekeeping," he explained. "They stored it in Luce Vera, one among many of their cities that were destroyed by the Witching Wars themselves. We believe that it may still be among the city’s ruins."

"What weapon could possibly help us in this?" Amah retorted.

The metal spirit held out his hand as a small scroll materialized in it. The parchment unfurled in his palm, revealing a crude sketch. "Forged from small fragments of the primordial light and darkness that sundered emptiness and began this realm of existence, it may be the only thing capable of wounding Mikaboh," Ogoun elaborated. "I began work on it in secret, under Ganesh’s request. He felt it necessary to protect the material world if Mikaboh ever did return."

Amah took the sketch from his hand and examined it closely. "The Genesis Chakram?" she muttered under her breath. "Why did you keep it secret from us?"

"The Grand Spirits are restricted in how they may influence the material world … at the time, Ganesh felt that his part in the chakram’s creation would stir unease among the other two," he lamented. "Particularly Athena, who tends to be the most untrusting of the Grand Spirits."

Amah’s grasp around the piece of paper tightened slightly as she took in a ragged breath. "Be warned: the chakram is a weapon with a mind of its own," the metal spirit added. "It will only glow when handled by a wielder it deems worthy … and only when it glows will it be able to harm Mikaboh."

"You’re sending us around the world for a weapon that may not even work?" Lola chimed in.

The metal spirit’s eyes locked upon the Buhund, his steel-grey irises glaring fiercely. "There is a chance that it will not find any of you worthy of using it," he growled. "It may also find one of you to be its chosen wielder. In either scenario, I feel that this is more productive than waiting for Mikaboh to tear apart existence itself."

He knelt down, bringing himself face-to-face with her. "You should know well enough that sometimes any action at all is better than standing still," the spirit seethed. "Something terrible is about to go down. Do not tell me you cannot feel dread running through your veins because of it. You are not alone in that feeling. For now, we cannot lose sight of our hope that we may prevent it, but there is much to be lost if we cannot. So my recommendation to you is to get up and keep moving."

Lola backed away from the metal spirit’s intimidating figure. She pondered upon his words for a moment, recalling how she’d struggled in her adventure against the Queen and the Empty Sky. "Then, I guess we have no choice," she murmured. "I’ll go."

The Buhund turned her gaze to the group behind her, looking to her friends. "Are you all with me?"

The group glanced from one to another, considering the task that had been set before them. "You know I’d have to go with you no matter what, naturally," Venice answered.

"Count me in," Aurora added.

"Me as well," Rook rejoined.

Wesley shook his head. "It’s just more and more trouble with you … isn’t it, dog?" he snarked. "I suppose we can’t disgrace ourselves by staying here and letting you lot go off to fight."

Carter nodded. "We’ll be glad to come with you."

Jakea peeked out from behind the two soldiers. "I’m guessing since our caravan was used, we’re going, too?" she queried.

"You’d have guessed correctly," Betty replied.

"Hey, wait you kids!" the old innkeeper’s voice called down the beach.

The old woman and her two granddaughters were making their way down the staircase, each of them carrying a large number of supplies. Lola recognized Venice, Aurora, Wesley, and Carter’s bags among the items the three were hauling. "You can’t just take off without your things," the old woman exclaimed.

"I can assure you we’d have retrieved them ourselves before leaving," Venice replied. "You didn’t have to carry them all the way down here for us."

"It’s perfectly all right. We don’t want to delay your departure," she reassured them. "Tsukimi and Haruko, go ahead and start putting their things in the vehicle."

The carpenter quickly relinquished the supplies from the two young girls before they could move forward, slinging both bundles over his shoulders. "It’s fine. I’ve got it from here."

Aurora retrieved the remaining bundle of supplies from the old woman’s arms. "Thank you for your help, though," she imparted.

"One more thing, little miss," the old woman interrupted.

She reached into her robe and pulled out another bundle of brown cloth, handing it to the young woman. "These are the remains of your lute," she remarked. "It was pretty badly smashed up, but I figured that it must have been very important to you."

Aurora’s face fell as she took the remnants of the instrument in her hand. "Thank you," she replied, wearily.

Lola trotted up to the large caravan, examining its exterior as the others began boarding it. She turned to Doug, who was standing idly by as the others began preparing for departure. "This is all well and good, but how are we going to make it across the ocean?" she asked. "Chikyuu is an island—there are no land bridges to the main continent."

"Don’t worry too much about it," he responded. "We got a baker’s dozen worth of enchanted artifacts out of Balrog … all of which Ogoun worked into the thing’s construction. Let’s just say they’ve made sure that bodies of water and mountain passes won’t get in our way."

He motioned her into the large caravan. Lola glanced back at the wizened innkeeper, her granddaughters, and the metal spirit as she trotted up the back car’s stairs. "Thank you for everything," the Buhund called to them before entering the vehicle.

#

The auto-caravan’s interior was divided between the three caravan cars that had been used to create it. The back car—which had formerly been Betty and Jakea’s single-car caravan—contained two small cots, a wood stove, and several shelves of books. A lone wooden chest stood in the back-most corner of the car.

The center car appeared to be fashioned as a sleeping quarters, as its walls were lined with several beds in a bunk style like a military dormitory. Lola spotted Sants and Talikha fast asleep on one of the beds as they proceeded through. Danny momentarily peeked out from underneath one of the bunks before retreating from sight.

The front car simply served as housing for a large boiler—connected to the smokestack that ran out through the roof—and what seemed to be the steering mechanism from a seacraft. Two pyrepies could be heard clattering around inside of the metal boiler. Lola took in the vehicle’s inner appearance as her friends looked around the front car. "The ferry company gave you their pyrepies, too?" Venice asked as he peered through the boiler’s front grate.

"They gave me everything I asked for," Doug answered as he seated himself in the large armchair in front of the vehicle’s steering wheel.

"How unfortunate that we have those little sociopaths along for the ride," Rook remarked.

The clattering in the boiler ceased momentarily. "Ca-Caw," one of the creatures called from inside.

"Stop saying that," the rooster cried. "It’s creepy."

"What did it just say?" Venice inquired.

"You don’t want to know," Rook answered.

The boiler’s front grate swung open, the two firebirds inside poking their heads out to examine everyone present. "Caw?" one of them emitted with a blank stare. "Ca-caw."

The two grabbed the grate with their talons and slammed it closed as they drew back into the boiler. "Their names are Caw and Gug, a brother and sister pair. Even for pyrepies, they’re considered insane," Rook explained.

"Good thing they don’t get out of the boiler room much then?" Aurora offered.

"I’d say it’s a very good thing," the rooster wearied.

"Enough fooling around," Doug proclaimed. "To the back car with all of you. We need to get going!"

They turned to leave at his command, filing through the entryway in the back of the car. "Ca-w," one of the birds called from inside the boiler.

"I’m not going to die in seven days," Rook protested as he waddled through the exit. "Why do they keep telling me that?"

Lola’s ears perked in confusion as she turned to Venice for any possible explanation. The carpenter shrugged in response to her glance.

They could feel the caravan shudder as they marched through the center car into the back, the sound of the vehicle’s engine echoing a half-muted roar throughout its entire structure. As they gathered in the back, Lola hopped up on an old trunk by one of the windows to look outside, watching the caravan’s movement intently.

With a slight jitter, the wheels began pushing the vehicle forward across the sand. The caravan’s entire structure began bobbing up and down as it hit the water. Lola watched as the wheels transformed in a puff of smoke into buoys that allowed the vehicle to float.

She fell from atop the trunk as the caravan lurched forward, taking off at incredible speed across the water.

Next Chapter: (Book 2) Chapter 04 - Journey to the West