The ginger kitten pushed open the door again. It was already the winter of a year later.
At the end of 1999, London was still blanketed in heavy snow.
Loren had taken over the Christmas Feast, and he had been doing so since last year. No one in the family had any objections.
Night gradually fell, and the lights in every household grew hazy. Lush green Christmas Trees stood in the yards, while mistletoe and holly branches hung on the walls, adorned with bright red ribbons.
Still, it was somewhat different from previous years. This year's holiday spirit was not as intense. Compared to Christmas Eve, which came every year, New Year's Eve a week later was the main event—the end of one century and the beginning of another, something that came only once in a hundred years and that ordinary people would experience only once in their lives. The news said that Thames Riverside was preparing a grand fireworks display. Although the television stations had announced a full live broadcast, more residents preferred to join the excitement in person. Tickets for the central area had sold out half a month ago.
Loren and the others did not join in the excitement. They had other matters to attend to that New Year's Eve.
The combined strength of wizards and magical creatures around the world had surpassed all expectations, and the magic migration plan was progressing faster than anticipated. It was as if some hidden and powerful force were pushing the plan forward. Everything had gone unbelievably smoothly. In just a year and a half, all preparations had been completed, leaving only the arrival of a new era.
There were also a very small number of die-hard wizards attempting to sabotage the plan.
A few hours earlier, someone had released a