"You!!!" Celeste Morne was furious and terrified, but unable to struggle.
She could only watch as Darth Malthael pressed a hand against her lower abdomen. A cold, sinister chill spread from that spot through her entire body. She began trembling violently, and a layer of frost formed over her skin.
Curses and wails seemed to drift faintly from within her abdomen, but they gradually grew quieter and weaker until they finally vanished.
By then, Celeste Morne had completely lost consciousness. Her entire body was frozen, and she was almost an ice statue.
Darth Malthael had exhausted all his strength. He collapsed to the floor with a thud and said, "Put her in the stasis pod! Otherwise, she's dead for sure!"
Without another word, Talim lifted Celeste Morne and placed her inside the stasis pod before shutting the hatch.
Darth Malthael uttered something in the ancient Sith language. A golden glow immediately spread from the edge of the stasis pod's lid, and the entire pod became perfectly sealed once more, without even the slightest gap visible.
"You sealed Karness Muur," Lucien Draay said.
"His Dark Side Force was too powerful. Even I couldn't destroy him in one stroke. I could only seal him temporarily inside Celeste's body," Darth Malthael replied.
"Couldn't your Death Force control Karness Muur?" Lucien Draay asked.
"Not unless I continuously maintain the World of the Dead." Darth Malthael finally caught his breath and rose from the floor. "If Karness Muur had been willing to damage his own soul and fight me to the bitter end, I might have been the first to collapse. But clearly, he didn't have the resolve to die with me—he'd rather be locked in a stasis pod for thousands of years. More than anyone, that bastard fears death."
Lucien Draay nodded. "I can