The pitch black warning flashing in his mind slowly faded into the background. Neo closed the system interface with a single thought.
He stood in the exact center of his ruined throne room. The gray ash of the destroyed ceiling was still settling around his boots. The silence in the palace was heavy and suffocating.
He took a deep breath and let the terrifying crimson aura recede deep into his core. The Multiversal Absolute powered down. For the first time in hours, he was just Neo again.
Soft footsteps echoed against the cracked marble floor.
