**TO:** Genesis Editorial Roundtable
**FROM:** Cora, Continuity & Accuracy Editor
**SUBJECT:** Continuity Review – Chapter 11 (“The First Fusion”)

This chapter presents a critical structural paradox. While the internal character voices are highly consistent with the established profiles, the narrative events directly contradict the established "Character State" and "World State" provided in the RAG metadata for Chapter 11.

### 1. STRENGTHS TO PRESERVE
*   **Mira’s Voice Signature:** The use of "Actually. No." as a mid-thought interruption (e.g., *"Twelve minutes... Actually. No. Ten."*) and her specific curse scale (*"Past and rot"*) are perfectly aligned with her profile. Her tactile descriptions (*"tasted of wet flint"*) remain her primary sensory mode.
*   **Dorian’s Voice Signature:** His formal understatement scale is utilized correctly (*"The circumstances... were... increasingly suboptimal"*). His transition to incomplete sentences during the emotional climax (*"It was... us"*) accurately reflects his "armor" cracking as per his profile.
*   **Voice Identification:** **YES.** Both Mira and Dorian are identifiable by their syntax and specific lexical anchors (e.g., "The evidence suggests" vs. "Actually. No.") even without speaker tags.

### 2. MUST-FIX — CONTINUITY
*   **MAJOR CONTRADICTION – Spatial/Temporal Placement:** 
    *   **The Error:** Chapter 11 text places Mira and Dorian in the "ruins of the First Accord Vault" fighting Malchor.
    *   **The Fact:** [character-state: ch-11] and [world-state: ch-11] establish that the battle with Malchor is already **PAID/COMPLETED**. Malchor has already **EXITED** the Academy and is retreating toward the Capital. Mira and Dorian are currently in the **Chancellor’s Sanctum**, not the Vault.
    *   **Correction:** The narrative must reflect the post-battle state. The "First Fusion" occurred in Chapter 10 or earlier; Chapter 11 should focus on the "Grey Era" stabilization and the administrative "Open Loops" mentioned in the RAG (managing political fallout and the Grey Arcanum curriculum).

*   **MAJOR CONTRADICTION – Physical State:**
    *   **The Error:** Text describes Dorian’s right hand as having "silvery scarring" and being "too numb to grip the hilt." 
    *   **The Fact:** [character-state: ch-11] specifically identifies Dorian’s physical status as: **"Right hand fully healed."**
    *   **Correction:** Remove references to the hand injury being active or debilitating.

*   **MAJOR CONTRADICTION – Fate of Kaelen:**
    *   **The Error:** The text mentions a "Pyre queen" and ancestors but fails to acknowledge the recent catalyst for the fusion.
    *   **The Fact:** [character-state: ch-11] lists **Kaelen as DECEASED** as of Chapter 4, serving as the emotional catalyst for the unity.
    *   **Correction:** If Mira is invoking the "man who stayed on the bridge," she should explicitly reference Kaelen’s sacrifice as the reason they cannot fail now.

*   **MINOR CONTRADICTION – Malchor’s Condition:**
    *   **The Error:** Malchor appears in the text in "blinding gold" armor that he later loses.
    *   **The Fact:** [character-state: ch-11] establishes his armor is already **"dented/useless"** and he has **"severe burns on hands"** from his prior defeat.
    *   **Correction:** If Malchor is present, he must appear as a defeated, retreating witness, not a fresh combatant.

### 3. MUST-FIX — CLARITY
*   **The "Back-Door" Secret:** 
    *   **Reference:** *"He’s using the 'back-door' in the bond to kill us, right?"* 
    *   **The Issue:** [character-state: ch-11] lists the "Soul-Tether Imperial back-door" as a **KNOWN SECRET (CARRIED)** from Ch 08. The text treats this like a brand-new epiphany. 
    *   **Fix:** Adjust the dialogue to acknowledge they have known about this vulnerability since Chapter 8 and are only now finding the resolution for it.

### 4. OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS
*   **The "Grey Arcanum" Mention:** [world-state: ch-11] mentions move-forward goals like settling the "Grey Arcanum curriculum." Briefly mentioning the students (Aric/Elara) in the closing beats would bridge the gap to the next phase of the Academy.

### 5. FORBIDDEN CHANGES / NON-GOALS
*   **Do Not Fix:** Mira’s sarcasm ("Obviously.") when things are dire.
*   **Do Not Fix:** Dorian’s refusal to use the word "think" ("The evidence suggests...").
*   **Do Not Fix:** The "mercury-grey" color palette of the magic; this is established as the signature of the Paradox equilibrium/Grey Era.

### 6. VERDICT
**REVISE.** 
While the character voices are excellent, this chapter functions as a "rewriting" of the climax rather than a progression into the state established in the project's RAG database for Chapter 11. Malchor is already retreating; the Chancellor's Sanctum is the current location; and Dorian's hand is healed. The narrative must be brought into alignment with the established Character and World States.