Nightmares and despair and death, those all held the boy's mind as he struggled unconciously against his inner demons. Finally, however, he would wake up to a scene from his nightmares; they had failed, they were going to be sacrificed, and, wait, was the Head Cultist offering to save the others if he allowed himself to be thrown into the pit? If so, he knew what to do; clearing his throat, the (Edit: 16)-year old kid spoke:

"I will not...let the others die." Mikhail stood up, a new strength filling him. "Throw me into the pit; I am not afraid." The cultists could see that his eyes were firmly set.

"'Good choice, boy," said the lead Cultist, before four other acolytes took Mikhail's thin frame and threw him into the gaping hole in the ground. The boy screamed as he fell, closing his eyes, awaiting the pain that would come when his head would hit the bottom with terminal force.

It didn't come. 

A few moments later, Mikhail opened his eyes, finding himself still falling, the wind blowing at his hair. Some moments more, and Mikhail decided that he wasn't deluding himself; something [i]was[/i] happening! Exuberantly, he tried to right his position, instinctively knowing, and hoping, that that was what he should do.

He was answered by a burst of brilliant blue light that emanated from him, surrounding his body in an aura that seemed like bright flames. He felt a voice call out to him, whispering directly into his thoughts:

[i]Child, Mikhail Peacemaker, will you be my Champion, my Squire? Will you spread Hope throughout this city, then the world?[/i]

A nod. [i]I will,[/i] the boy thought back.

[i]Brave boy,[/i] said the voice, and a sword appeared in Mikhail's right hand. [i]This is the Blade that Ends Misery. Use it as I would.[/i] Knowledge would then fill Mikhail's head, welcome information as to what the sword can and can't do. A few moments more, and Mikhail flew [i]up[/i], up above the pit, enveloped in a fiery blue blaze, confronting a slew of surprised cultists and children.

"[b][i]All will feel awe,[/i][/b]" he spoke out loud, and the Cultists bowed down in fear; it was quite clear to them that something had gone wrong, that they had summoned the wrong entity. Mikhail, his face stony with rage, gazed upon the lead cultist, before saying:

"You wished to summon one of my patron's kin, and live beside them in undeath. You didn't know what you were asking, and you still don't know now." Another cultist drew his gun, while yet another took out one of the crystals used on Mikhail earlier. With a thought, Mikhail created a construct of a giant hand that would grab the gun and throw it into the pit, before doing the same with the crystal.

"That will be enough of that," the boy said before binding every cultist with constructs of chains, before creating constructs of swords to free the children from their bonds. As Sarah and the others found themselves able to hope again, Mikhail drew strength from them, strength to keep flying; he was now sensing the weakness of his newfound powers. He then turned towards the Lead Cultist and spoke:

"Why should I spare you, after what you did to them?"

Another gesture, and the other children began healing of their bruises and other injuries, with some even regenerating their teeth.

"Why should I not kill you and all of your people, right here and now?" another question aimed at the head of the Cult.

[@Ikthaias]