Everyone around Lipton and Jeses gave a resounding shout, punching their fists victoriously in the air.
“Great job, Lipton!” Kalista praised, and when Lipton flashed her a smile, Kalista couldn’t help but blush a little.
“Good job, brother!” Henson congratulated him, patting Lipton hard on the shoulder, followed by the rest of the other Sigma men.
“So now that you’ve killed Dove,” Jesse said, clutching Lipton’s hands and never wanting to let them go, “are you now the Supreme Ruler since you have both the combined powers of good and evil within. You still have those powers, right?”
Lipton smiled even wider, as if there was some secret he wasn’t willing to share just yet. “Hmm … maybe.”
“What do you mean maybe?”
“I’m now the most powerful man in the world,” Lipton began, his eyes burning with such an intense smile that it literally melted Jesse’s heart once. “Because … I get to be with you … forever.”
Jesse let out a gasp, her eyes stinging with fresh tears again. “What are you saying, Lipton? Of course I want to be with you … but isn’t the curse …”
“The curse is gone,” Lipton finished her words. “Gone forever. No more, Jesse. The curse is wiped out.”
Jesse almost leapt into his chest again, sheer joy surging through her body. “B-b-b-but I thought that the curse is so powerful that nothing can ever reverse the spell. You have been living with this curse for centuries. How did you manage to undo the curse?”
Lipton’s eyes twinkled. “What’s more powerful than the curse itself?”
Jesse’s eyes widened. “The powers of the universe! The powers which come from both the Dark Pole and Good Pole!”
“Yes, in order to undo the curse, I had to utilize both sides of power to crush this extremely powerful curse which had plagued me for centuries. I was able to destroy Dove with this massive amount of powers which I had, and at the same time, I was able to undo the curse, once and for all!”
“I’m so happy to hear that, Lipton!” Kalista chirped, rushing over to Lipton and giving him a tight, warm hug. She felt that tingle swelled again when she was in physical contact with Lipton, but she knew that it was the Urukan Tingle, nothing more than a surge of romantic emotion.
“So what are you doing to do now, since you have both the powers of the entire universe?” Jesse asked with a slight grin.
“Well, you don’t have to worry much about me having those powers anymore,” Lipton responded with a wry smile. “I’ve returned those powers back to where they belong. The Good Pole. And the Dark Pole. I will not meddle with those powers anymore, ever again.”
“But why not? You could use them for good, you know. Help others …”
“Jesse, you have no idea about the infinite extent of those powers … I felt like I was the most powerful being in the whole universe, and nothing can ever trample me … but at the same time, I know that sooner or later, having those powers can corrupt my mind, and turn me greedy and evil due to the overwhelming lust of power. I had to discard them aside before they completely corrupt me. You have seen how evil some good people have become due to the greed for power. So no, I’m not going to risk that. I’d rather live a normal life … with my loved one,” Lipton said with a paused, his eyes twinkling at Jesse, “than live a life of being the most powerful man in the entire universe with both dark and good powers within.” And with that, he tilted his head down, his lips pressing down against Jesse’s, and they were lost in their own world for a moment.
Jesse knew that Lipton had made the right choice of giving up those powers. There was nothing better than spending the rest of her life with this man, waking up to him every morning on bed, and seeing that heart-melting smile of his every day. No powers in the universe would be able to give her that priceless gift. And the best part was … there was no more Catan.
Epilogue
Jesse gazed at the shadows of wings fluttering around her on the green meadow as she nibbled on an apple she had brought for the picnic that sunny afternoon. A smile lit up her face as she heard the vibrant laughter echoing above her head. This was the kind of life she had envisioned for so long, and finally, she was able to live in this sunny perfection which had eluded her for as long as she could remember. She had never felt so good, or normal, for that matter, in her entire life, and now, she was living the dream she had always dreamed of.
“Hey!” a husky voice cried in a mock huffy voice. “That was the last apple! I didn’t even had the chance to eat it! You’re so greedy!”
Jesse turned her gaze away from the dancing shadow of wings on the ground and stared at Lipton, with an amused grin on her face. “That’s because you were too busy watching the kids! You didn’t even seem like you wanted to touch any of the food in the picnic basket.”
The vivacious laughter erupted above again, and both Jesse and Lipton tilted their heads up to see two winged children soaring through the air, chasing one another in a game of tag. One blond boy, aged about seven, was darting through the air and chasing a girl, who was about his age.
“I’m gonna get you!” the boy cried, bursting into unbridled laughter, his face swelling with excitement.
The girl flapped her wings harder, trying to accelerate through the air and getting away as far as possible from her overly excited brother. “Over my dead body! You’re gonna have to fly faster!” The girl zoomed toward an oak tree, and took cover behind the canopy, but when her brother reached the tree and was close to tagging her, the girl instantly darted away from the tree and sailed across the sky. The brother trailed dangerously close behind her, his hands almost reaching out to her as the girl screamed in anxious excitement.
“Look at how our kids have grown,” Jesse mused, her eyes twinkling. Jefferson and Kassia, her two own babies, had now blossomed into beautiful children, each of them having their own pair of wings due to their genetics inherited from their father, Lipton. Jesse watched as her two children circled in the sky with carefree abandonment, oblivious to the cares of the world. Tears pooled between her eyes as her chest swelled with relief and joy. This was definitely the life that she wanted … a normal life in which her family could do anything, or everything, without too much supernatural interference. She knew that her own children were supernaturally gifted with Wingman abilities, but being partly supernatural didn’t mean that her family couldn’t live a completely normal normal life.
“Why are you crying?” Lipton asked, concern etched on his face as he drew closer to Jesse, and wiped the tears from her face with his fingers.
“I’m just happy seeing how our lives have turned out,” Jesse responded softly, smiling through the tears. “I never knew that we would have a life like this. Never have I imagined that something like this … would happen ever to me … to us.”
“Well … it did, didn’t it?” Lipton grinned, planting a kiss on Jesse’s cheek.
Jesse chuckled with mirth and handed Lipton the other half on her eaten apple. “Here’s the apple you wanted.”
“But you have eaten it! You’re giving me the other half of which you have eaten?” Lipton said in a mock grumbling tone, and then a grin curved the corner of his lips. “Alright, I shall eat the other half. After all … you’re my other half … my wife.” And with that, he took the other half of the apple and wolfed it down, drawing an amused smile from Jesse’s lips. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him eating the apple, the way his eyes widened animatedly and the way his chiseled jaw moved as he tackled the apple. Jesse found herself falling head over heels for him every day without fail. He was the apple of his life, and she was pretty sure she was his as well. Nothing could ever separate them … no storm or fire could ever tear the two of them apart.
Jesse flicked her glance back to the clouds, where the merry sound of her laughing children rang through the air. She could feel Lipton slowly squeeze her hands, his warmth spreading through her body like a soft blanket, caressing her and making all her insides tingle.<
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The memories flooded back into the corners of her mind. So much had happened in the past. Ever since Lipton had completely killed Dove and reversed the curse which had bound him to Catan, everything had gradually turned out in her favor. Catan was completely out of their lives, and because the curse was reversed, Lipton wasn't an immortal anymore, and ever since then, his biological clock began to tick. Lipton was finally able to grow old with Jesse, who had become a human after she was de-vampirized by Henson. Jesse was completely a human now, but she still had some supernatural elements within her … she had the Sigma blood. Jesse would be able to turn a vampire into a human with the Sigma Kiss if ever she had to resort to such circumstances. Henson had offered to enlist Jesse into the Sigma training camp which would equip Jesse with all the Sigma skills such as the martial arts and teleportation. However, Jesse had declined the offer with the intention of fully living the human life, without being involved in any supernatural activities anymore. Of course, if one day she found it necessary to foster those Sigma skills, she would seek Henson again, but for the time being, she just wanted to be a mother to Jefferson and Kassie, and a wife to Lipton. That was all she ever wanted.
Jesse had rarely seen Henson and the Sigma men ever since she declined to be enlisted into their Sigma program, as the Sigma men constantly went into hiding, going from one place to another, turning vampires into humans when circumstances required. The Sigma men knew that there was a bounty on their heads, and there were still evil vampires out there who would not stop to seek and kill them since the Sigma men were on their blacklist. Jesse was free from the radar of those evil vampires for the time being as she had consistently maintained a low profile, refraining herself from being engaged in supernatural activities and living her life in the most human way as possible. And so far, no one was able to tell that she was a Sigma, or that she used to be a vampire once upon a time. Ever since Jesse was turned from a vampire into a human through the Sigma Kiss, Jesse’s biological clock started ticking, and she was finally able to grow old together with Lipton. Of course, she sometimes missed being a vampire, and how powerful it made her feel with those supernatural abilities she used to have. But if she had a choice, she’d rather be living the life she was now living … with Lipton and her two beautiful children.
Ever since Kalista had found out that she had some relatives of Urukan ancestry in Iceland, Kalista had flown over there to connect with them. With some magical help from Maggie, Kalista was able to locate the remaining members of her kin. Kalista now resided in Ireland, forming a strong bond with her Urukan relatives there, and occasionally, she would return to Wartwick to pay Lipton and Jesse a surprise visit. Jesse really missed Kalista, and would sometimes email her or text her on the phone, asking her about her new life there in Ireland. She treated Kalista like a sister, and she had never felt so deeply connected to anyone in a sisterly way before.
Jesse felt a stab of pain in the heart at the sudden recollection of Rellie’s death. Jesse had to embrace the fact that Rellie was really dead, and it had pained Kalista in the beginning as the two of them had been friends. Maggie had even decided to bring Rellie back from the dead again using whatever magical means she could find, but after much deliberation, all of them decided against bringing Rellie back to life as doing so might invite negative and unwanted consequences, and none of them wanted to relive those nightmarish consequences ever again. So they finally mourned Rellie’s death, praying that she would find the greatest peace in the afterlife.
Maggie eventually decided to work for the WPD, knowing that her magic would come into good use to capture criminals. Initially, Maggie had decided to completely give up her magical life, but after all the trials and tribulations she had endured, she realized that evil would never end, and there must be someone out there to stop evil from festering. Maggie was able to settle into her magical life as an Vamptress, and she was eventually appointed as the Department Head after several years due to her continuous success in capturing criminals using her magical skills and wit. Maggie would sometimes meet up with Jesse’s family, and they would have a ball of a time together, be it a family outing or a picnic by the lake. Maggie had agreed to be both Jefferson and Kassia’s godmother, and had placed an enchantment spell on them to protect and bless them throughout all the days of their lives. Even though it might not be a hundred per cent protection, the spell would at least ward off unwanted supernatural interference from evil sources.
Ken had a new woman in his life, and had asked for her hand in marriage three year ago. Jesse gave him her full blessings, and attended his wedding with her whole family to celebrate the Ken’s marital bliss. Ken now had a two-year-old son named Kevin, and he would sometimes bring him over to Jesse’s place to become Jefferson and Kassia’s playmate. Jesse thought that seeing Ken with another woman would break her heart, but surprisingly, it made her happier to see him happy with his new partner. After going through so much pain and hardship, Jesse had come to realize that she had never really loved him the way she loved Lipton, and being with Ken at that time was actually to fill the void she had endured through those years of being alone and single. The love that she had felt for Lipton was real and pure, and nothing like she had ever felt before in her entire life, and now she knew what real love was. She now treated Ken like a good friend, and would occasionally meet him up for drinks whenever she needed to pour her heart out.
The last fog of the past memories faded away, and Jesse smiled up at the sun, gazing at the little sweet “cherubs” fluttering away at the sky. Things had never been better, or felt better. Then, she gazed back at Lipton, who had been staring quietly at her all the while.
“I can see that you’ve been thinking,” Lipton observed, chuckling a little. “You look dead serious when you do your contemplation.”
“I do not!” Jesse said in mock annoyance, and gave Lipton a playful slap on the shoulder. “Yes, I was thinking … about the past. About how everything had turned out well for me … for you … for both of us.” Jesse’s eyes darted to the streak of white hair on Lipton’s hair, and she swept her finger across the white streak on his hair.
“What are you doing to my hair?” Lipton asked with lopsided grin.
“You’re growing old,” Jesse said in a teasing voice, laughing. “I can see a bit of white hair here.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed that a couple of days ago. I’ve never had white hair before. This is the first.”
“Well, after you’ve reversed the curse almost a decade ago … you know that you don’t have the advantage of being immortal anymore, right? You’re going to have to grow old … with me.” A smile lit up Jesse’s face, and it seemed as though the twinkles in her eyes were dancing.
Lipton reached out for Jesse’s hands and gave it a gentle squeeze, his lips relaxed into the most beautiful smile Jesse had ever seen. “I would like that very much, Jesse. I would like to grow old with you, white hair and all … as long as it’s with you. I want to hold your hands forever until we grow old and die … and that’s a promise. A Wingman pledge.” Lipton made a mock salute, drawing a warm laughter from Jesse.
All of a sudden, two pairs of feet landed right beside the picnic mat.
“I’m so hungry, mom!” Jefferson cried, panting, his wings still flapping about behind him.
“Me too, mom!” Kassia echoed, plopping down into Lipton’s lap, and Lipton gave her a tight squeeze, drawing an excited scream from Kassia.
“OK, kids,” Jesse chirped, opening the basket. “I’ll take out the sandwiches and the chocolate brownies now. We’ll eat together as a family and you kids can tell us all about your game of tag. Who won in the end?”
“I did!” Jefferson’s hand shot up into the air, his face still bubbling with excitement.
“That’s because he cheated!” Kassia grumbled, her cheeks puffing.
“I did not!” Jefferson protested.
Jesse laughed, and handed both the children their sandwiches. She watched with mirth as
they gobbled them up like hungry hyenas.
“I want to play again!” Kassia demanded, after sipping the last of her cranberry juice. “This time, I’ll win!”
“You’re on!” Jefferson challenged. “I’ll win for sure!”
“We’ll see about that!” Kassia shot up into the sky again, her wings fluttering behind her. Jefferson launched himself into the air, trailing behind Kassia, and they began the game of tag once more.
“They’re never going to stop playing this game, are they?” Jesse shook her head with a wry smile on her face.
“Well,” Lipton began, shooting Jesse a mischievous grin. “At least it’ll give us some alone time together, right?”
Jesse punched Lipton playfully on the shoulder, and they both ended up laughing. Jesse finally settled her head into Lipton’s chest, closing her eyes, hearing the rhythm of his heartbeat, so calm and soothing. Jesse was slowly drifting into a sleep, but was startled when she heard a sudden retching sound.
She jerked her head up, and saw that Lipton was screaming in pain, his face twisting in agonizing angles. His eyes looked a little bloodshot, and he was tossing his head around, as though he was possessed.
Jesse immediately sprang up to her feet, her heart pounding in fear. She had seen that look on Lipton’s face before. She knew that look. It all came crashing back into her memory once more. It was the look Lipton would have before he transformed into Catan.
That horrified realization made Jesse gasp in terror, shivers running down spine like cold daggers. Was Lipton going to transform back into Catan? Jesse shook her head incredulously, watching as Lipton twisted and turned on the ground, contorting in excruciating pain. But that was impossible! How could Lipton change into Catan? Jesse thought that Lipton had completely reversed the curse with both the powers of the Good and Dark Poles, and there was nothing more powerful in the universe that that. There shouldn’t be a reason for Catan to manifest now, since the curse was reversed. But why was Lipton convulsing violently on the ground, looking like he was about to change into Catan? No … this couldn’t be happening. This shouldn’t be happening at all. What was really going on?
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