### 1. PROSE EVIDENCE

*   **Quote 1 (Early):** "The echo of the ancient scream still lingered in Elara's ears as the group pushed deeper into the shadowed heart of the forest, branches clawing like desperate fingers."
    *   *Commentary:* This effectively establishes the lingering sensory trauma from the previous chapter while utilizing active, menacing personification of the setting.
*   **Quote 2 (Mid):** "Once, this might have been a temple or a fortress, but time and the forest had reclaimed it. Massive pillars of white stone, bored through by glowing vines, slanted at impossible angles."
    *   *Commentary:* This provides a clear visual anchor for the Echoing Ruins, though the phrase "impossible angles" is a common fantasy cliché that borders on filler.
*   **Quote 3 (Late):** "She felt a wave of sound erupted from her, a distortion in the air that looked like a shimmering glass wall. It slammed into the Barker-Wight just as it was about to crush Kael."
    *   *Commentary:* This passage captures the visceral, visual nature of Elara’s "resonance" ability, though the grammatical tense shift ("felt... erupted") is a minor prose stumble.
*   **Quote 4 (Late):** "The creature staggered, its wooden limbs vibrating so violently that pieces of moss and bark began to flake off."
    *   *Commentary:* This is a strong, concrete detail that provides visual feedback for the effectiveness of a non-physical attack.

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### 2. CHARACTER VOICE AUDIT

**Character: Thorne**
*   **Line:** "I hear plenty. Most of it’s lies. Don't go chasing ghosts, Elara. We have a goal."
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics:** YES – Uses cynical, grounded language ("Most of it's lies," "grinding stones").
*   **Avoids Forbidden Patterns:** YES – Thorne does not use modern slang or overly academic jargon.
*   **Emotional Register:** NO – Despite the World State indicating Thorne is an untrusting Elder from Oakhaven who vowed to report Elara, he is acting here as a protective, seasoned guide.

**Character: Kael (Kaelen)**
*   **Line:** "It's getting thicker... Smells like... old pennies and wet dog."
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics:** YES – Uses sensory comparisons and attempted levity to mask fear.
*   **Avoids Forbidden Patterns:** YES – Stays within the YA 14-18 tone.
*   **Emotional Register:** YES – Consistent with his established anxious but communicative state.

**Character: Elara**
*   **Line:** "The blood is the key, and the key is the curse." (Internal/Heard)
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics:** YES – Focused on sensory "resonance" and heavy introspective questioning.
*   **Avoids Forbidden Patterns:** YES – Tone is appropriate for a 30% arc conduit.
*   **Emotional Register:** YES – Unsettled yet determined, fitting her physical and emotional state from the RAG context.

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### 3. STRENGTHS TO PRESERVE

*   **Atmospheric Detail of the Glass Grove:** The description of the environment is distinct.
    *   *Evidence:* "The trees didn’t grow straight; they spiraled upward, their bark translucent and shimmering with a sickly, iridescent sheen."
*   **Action Pacing:** The transition from the slow tension of the ruins to the Barker-Wight attack is well-managed.
    *   *Evidence:* "The vision shattered as a roar ripped through the clearing. 'Elara! Move!' Thorne’s voice snapped her back to the present."
*   **Lineage Reveal:** Connecting Elara’s lineage to the "Great Betrayal" creates a strong emotional stakes ramp.
    *   *Evidence:* "The echoes don't just show the past, Elara. They show the lineage of the sin... That man was your ancestor... He was the one who stole the Heart."

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### 4. MUST-FIX -- CONTINUITY

*   **ITEM 1: Character identity conflict.**
    *   **ORIGINAL:** "Behind her, Thorne’s heavy boots crunched rhythmically... Thorne turned, his gaze sharp."
    *   **PROBLEM:** In the project context, **Silas** is the protector/guide in the Whispering Grove. **Elder Thorne** is an NPC in Oakhaven who is "UNTRUSTING" and reported Elara to the Council. This chapter treats Thorne as the guide (Silas’s role) and implies he was present during the Ridge escape.
    *   **FIX:** Replace Thorne with **Silas** throughout the chapter. Ensure Silas reflects his "Guarded and skeptical" emotional state.
*   **ITEM 2: Silas/Ancestor confusion.**
    *   **ORIGINAL:** "That man was your ancestor, Silas. He was the one who broke the balance."
    *   **PROBLEM:** Silas is an active party member (the guide). Naming the ancestor Silas creates massive confusion between the current POV character's companion and the ancient thief.
    *   **FIX:** Change the ancestor's name to a unique identifier (e.g., "Aethelred" or "Elias") to distinguish him from the party guide, Silas.
*   **ITEM 3: Kaelen's physical state.**
    *   **ORIGINAL:** "Kael was uncharacteristically silent, his fingers dancing nervously over the hilt of his short sword... Kael fumbled with his bow."
    *   **PROBLEM:** The Context state (ch-03) lists Kaelen as being at the **Village of Oakhaven, Healer's Hut**, "recovering from blight-cough" and "weak." He is not with Elara in the Grove.
    *   **FIX:** Either remove Kaelen from the scene entirely (replacing his actions with Silas/Thorne) or include a bridging scene explaining how a bedridden, weak boy reached the heart of a dangerous forest.

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### 5. MUST-FIX -- CLARITY

*   **ITEM 1: Grammatical Tense Shift.**
    *   **ORIGINAL:** "She felt a wave of sound erupted from her, a distortion in the air..."
    *   **PROBLEM:** "Felt... erupted" is a clashing verb structure.
    *   **FIX:** "She felt a wave of sound erupt from her..."
*   **ITEM 2: Spatial Confusion in the Vision.**
    *   **ORIGINAL:** "In the center of the clearing stood a shattered archway... Elara felt a pull in her chest... She saw a woman in the reflection, standing right where she stood."
    *   **PROBLEM:** The text describes an archway, then obsidian tiles, then the archway again. It is unclear if she is looking into the floor or the air within the arch.
    *   **FIX:** Clarify that the obsidian flooring extends beneath the archway, linking the visual reflection on the ground to the passage through the arch.

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### 6. OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS

*   **Suggestion:** Lean more into Elara's "glowing residue on palms" mentioned in ch-03.
    *   *Context:* The residue is a physical state in RAG.
    *   *Quote Reference:* "Elara fell to her knees... Her head felt like it had been split open."
    *   *Idea:* Mention the residue on her palms beginning to glow brighter as she uses the resonance to destroy the Wight.
*   **Suggestion:** Adjust Silas's (currently Thorne) dialogue to reflect his skepticism of the supernatural.
    *   *Quote Reference:* "Because you have the attunement."
    *   *Idea:* As Silas is "skeptical" in the RAG notes, he should sound more reluctant to acknowledge "attunement" as a magical reality, perhaps calling it a "sickness" or "affliction."

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### 7. FORBIDDEN CHANGES / NON-GOALS

*   **Do not fix Kael’s verbal tics:** His cracked voice ("copper and rot") and lopsided jokes are character-specific attempts at bravado despite his anxiety.
*   **Do not "elevate" the Glass Grove descriptions:** The "old pennies and wet dog" and "spiraled upward" descriptions are specific YA sensory anchors.
*   **Do not change the "Blood/Key" prophecy:** Even if it feels trope-heavy, it is a "Known Secret" in the RAG context.

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### 8. VERDICT

**REVISE**
**SCORE: 72**

**Justification:** While the prose effectively captures the YA fantasy tone and the Barker-Wight encounter is well-staged, the chapter suffers from critical continuity failures. It swaps the roles and locations of established characters (placing the bedridden Kaelen in the grove and turning the antagonist Elder Thorne into the guide Silas), and it creates a naming collision by calling the ancestor by the current guide's name (Silas). These MUST-FIX items require a total reassignment of character roles to match the Project Context.