As they walked deeper into the forest, Elena could feel the curse of the Baba Yaga spreading through her body like a dark poison. The wound on her arm throbbed with an unnatural energy, and she could feel her strength fading fast.
Nikolai and Anna tried to keep her spirits up, but it was no use. Elena knew that she was dying, and that there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.
As they stumbled through the forest, they came across a clearing, and in the center of it was a small cabin. It looked deserted, but they could hear movement inside.
Elena hesitated. She knew that it was dangerous to trust anyone in the forest, especially now that the Baba Yaga was after her. But they had nowhere else to go, and she was too weak to keep going.
They approached the cabin cautiously, and as they got closer, they could hear the sound of someone sobbing inside. Elena pushed open the door, and they stepped inside.
The cabin was small and cramped, but clean and well-kept. In the corner sat an old woman, her face buried in her hands.
"Are you alright?" Elena asked, her voice weak.
The old woman looked up, her eyes red from crying. "No," she said. "I'm not alright. I've been cursed by the Baba Yaga."
Elena felt a chill run down her spine. "What do you mean?" she asked.
The old woman explained that she had been a healer, but the Baba Yaga had come to her, demanding that she use her powers for evil. When the old woman had refused, the Baba Yaga had cursed her, causing her body to slowly waste away.
Elena felt a pang of sympathy for the old woman. She knew what it was like to be cursed by the Baba Yaga. But she also knew that they had to leave, before the Baba Yaga found them.
"We have to go," Elena said, her voice urgent. "The Baba Yaga will be after us soon."
The old woman nodded, and they left the cabin, making their way back into the forest. But as they walked, Elena could feel the Baba Yaga's curse growing stronger, until she could barely stand.
Suddenly, a figure stepped out of the shadows, a woman in a long black cloak. Elena knew immediately that it was the Baba Yaga.
"You thought you could escape me?" the Baba Yaga hissed, her eyes glowing with an otherworldly light.
Elena drew her sword, ready to fight. But she was too weak, and the Baba Yaga was too strong. The Baba Yaga struck her with a bolt of dark energy, and Elena fell to the ground.
As she lay there, fading away, Elena could hear the Baba Yaga's cackling laughter echoing through the forest. She knew that she had failed, that she had been defeated by the Baba Yaga's curse.
But as her vision faded to black, Elena heard a voice whispering in her ear. It was the old woman, the healer who had been cursed by the Baba Yaga.
"Use your own magic," the old woman said. "Fight back."
Elena felt a surge of energy within her, a power she had never known before. She closed her eyes and focused, drawing on the magic inside of her.
As she stood up, she felt her wounds healing, the Baba Yaga's curse receding. She raised her sword and charged at the Baba Yaga, ready to fight.
The Baba Yaga cackled, but Elena was not afraid. She knew that she had the power to defeat her, and with one swift stroke of her sword, she severed the Baba Yaga's head.