### 1. PROSE EVIDENCE

*   **Quote 1 (Early):** "The air in the ravine’s gut did not behave like air; it had the consistency of silt, pulling at Elara’s lungs until every inhale felt like dragging a stone upward through her throat."
    *   *Commentary:* Excellent use of tactile imagery that reinforces the physical toll of the "spiritual gravity" described in the project context.
*   **Quote 2 (Mid):** "Elara swayed like mist-shrouded reeds, her eyes glazing as she looked past Kaelen. 'I... I flow... the current is too heavy...'"
    *   *Commentary:* This effectively dramatizes her spiritual depletion by utilizing the specific water-stuttering imperfection noted in her voice signature.
*   **Quote 3 (Late):** "The wooden brace lashed to his arm was no longer mere timber; it had sprouted jagged, obsidian-colored thorns that pierced back into his own skin, drinking his vitality to fuel their bloom."
    *   *Commentary:* This vividly illustrates Thorne’s arc progress (60%) where he is losing individual agency to become a literal conduit for the Blight.
*   **Quote 4 (Late):** "It began to throb in perfect synchronization with the black sap weeping from the walls. It didn't fight the Blight; it sang to it."
    *   *Commentary:* This highlights the "Active World Event" of synchronization between the corruption and the protagonists' items, heightening the tension of the twist.

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### 2. CHARACTER VOICE AUDIT

**Character: Elara Vance**
*   **Line:** "The falls whisper what the roots already know—debt binds us deeper than stone, Kaelen."
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics?** YES. Uses "by the roots" and weaves Elderwood lore into her dialogue.
*   **Avoid Forbidden Patterns?** YES. No slang or modern idioms used.
*   **Consistent with Arc?** YES. Reflects her 85% arc state: accepting the physical toll while burdened by the Council's secrets.

**Character: Kaelen**
*   **Line:** "I'd rather die knowing what I'm fighting than rot in this fog."
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics?** YES. Voice is urgent/fragmented, focused on tactical survival and Elara's safety.
*   **Avoid Forbidden Patterns?** YES. 
*   **Consistent with Arc?** YES. Demonstrates his 80% arc state of subordinating his safety to the Vessel.

**Character: Thorne Blackroot**
*   **Line:** "Hark. The false Vessel brings the key. The roots remember, and they are thirsty."
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics?** YES. Uses "Hark," "the roots remember," and elaborate metaphors ("firefly in a world of ink").
*   **Avoid Forbidden Patterns?** YES. Shows no vulnerability or doubt. 
*   **Consistent with Arc?** YES. Reflects his "ecstatic" emotional state and loss of agency to the "song."

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### 3. STRENGTHS TO PRESERVE

*   **Physical Manifestation of the Blight:** The description of Thorne’s arm ("obsidian-colored thorns that pierced back into his own skin") must remain, as it perfectly aligns with his character sheet's physical description of thorns piercing his skin.
*   **Elara’s Spiritual Exhaustion:** The stuttering water metaphors ("I... I flow... no, I mean falter") are essential markers of her "Vessel" status being pushed to the brink.
*   **The World State Integration:** The synchronization of the Great Blight with Elara’s heartbeat and items ("throb in perfect synchronization") is a key plot beat from the RAG context that is well-executed here.

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### 4. MUST-FIX -- CONTINUITY

*   **ORIGINAL:** "...her hand brushing a cedar trunk. The bark was slick, weeping a black, viscous sap that pulsed in time with the violet burn on her palm."
*   **PROBLEM:** In the World State (NPC Memory), it is established that the protagonist's are "wary of any auditory hallucinations" and the environmental corruption is "synchronized with Elara’s heartbeat." While the quote mentions the pulse, it misses the *auditory* paranoia established in the context.
*   **FIX:** Add a brief mention of Elara flinching at a sound to reinforce the "NPC Memory" of malevolent echoes mimicking Thalric.
*   **ORIGINAL:** "...left arm—wrapped in a bandage now soaked through with a dark, brownish bloom of old blood..."
*   **PROBLEM:** The Context (Character State: Kaelen) specifically says the bandage is soaked with "fresh blood," not "old blood." This is a minor but direct factual contradiction.
*   **FIX:** Change to: "...wrapped in a bandage now soaked through with a bright, spreading bloom of fresh blood..."

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### 5. MUST-FIX -- CLARITY

*   **ORIGINAL:** "The Sigil on her palm... wasn't turning dim—it was turning black, the color of a void that had been waiting for her to arrive."
*   **PROBLEM:** The Root-Key is also described as "scorching hot" and "vibrating." The transition between the Sigil fading and the Key's reaction is slightly blurred, making it unclear if the Key is *causing* the Sigil to turn black or if both are reacting to Thorne.
*   **FIX:** Clarify the sequence: "As her fingers locked around the Key, the violet light of the Sigil was sucked into the metal, replaced by a spreading, void-like blackness."

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### 6. OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS

*   **Optional (Kaelen's Motivation):** In the line "Even a recruit could see the bottleneck ahead," adding a brief mention of his desertion vision (from Known Secrets) would deepen the moment.
    *   *Quote:* "Even a recruit could see the bottleneck ahead—it looked exactly like the decay I saw in the vision that cost me my rank."

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### 7. FORBIDDEN CHANGES / NON-GOALS

*   **Do NOT "fix" Elara's fragmented speech:** Passages like "I... I flow... the current is too heavy..." are mandatory imperfections for her spiritually drained state.
*   **Do NOT change Thorne’s "Hark":** This is a specific speech quirk for his character to denote his arrogance.
*   **Do NOT smooth out the "rhythmic" dialogue:** Elara's measured, rhythmic pattern when channeling or staying calm is a core voice signature requirement.

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### 8. VERDICT

**REVISE**
**SCORE: 88**
**Justification:** The chapter is tonally and stylistically excellent and adheres closely to character voice signatures. However, there is a direct continuity error regarding Kaelen’s "fresh blood" vs "old blood" and a missed opportunity to fully integrate the protagonists' established wariness of auditory hallucinations. These minor factual and world-state alignment issues require correction.