### 1. PROSE EVIDENCE
*   **"early"**: "In the Inner Sanctum, the air did not behave like air; it had the viscosity of cool spring water, thick with the scent of crushed needles and ancient, drying loam."
    *   This effectively establishes the sensory "thickening" of the atmosphere as Elara enters the spiritual center of the Weave.
*   **"mid"**: "Thorne Blackroot moved like a shadow cast by a dying flame. The Thorne’s blackened veins pulsed with an erratic, sickly light, his skin pallid and stretched thin over his skull."
    *   The visual description reinforces Thorne’s thematic tie to decay and the rebound effect of the sanctum's purity.
*   **"mid"**: "Kaelen didn't answer with words. He gripped the Sunstone Shard in his right hand, the edges cutting into his palm, and slammed it into the ground."
    *   This passage highlights Kaelen’s grit and the physical cost of his sacrifice without resorting to excessive internal monologue.
*   **"late"**: "The Sigil on her palm was no longer glowing; it was a matte, silver brand, permanent and silent. She moved her hand, and it didn't feel like her hand. It felt like a tool belonging to something much larger."
    *   This successfully marks the 95% completion of Elara's arc, moving from a witness to an instrument of the forest.
*   **"late"**: "And in the dark below the roots, something opened an eye."
    *   The ending creates a compelling hook for the sequel or next phase while maintaining the "Heavy Silence" atmosphere.

---

### 2. CHARACTER VOICE AUDIT

**ELARA VANCE**
*   **Line:** "I... I flow... no, I mean falter,"
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics?**: YES. Uses the stammer "I... I flow..." and the oath "by the roots."
*   **Avoids Forbidden Patterns?**: YES. No casual slang or modern idioms used.
*   **ARC Consistency?**: YES. Reflects spiritual depletion and the transition to the "Forest's Voice."

**THORNE BLACKROOT**
*   **Line:** "The forest devours the weak, little guard... Hark, can you hear it?"
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics?**: YES. Uses "the roots remember," "hark," and "the forest devours the weak." 
*   **Avoids Forbidden Patterns?**: YES. No apologies or admissions of doubt.
*   **ARC Consistency?**: YES. Driven by desperate rage and paranoia as his power is stripped.

**KAELEN**
*   **Line:** "Not... yet."
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics?**: YES. Minimalist, grim dialogue reflecting blood loss.
*   **Avoids Forbidden Patterns?**: YES. 
*   **ARC Consistency?**: YES. Displays the "selfless martyr" state as defined in the world state context.

---

### 3. STRENGTHS TO PRESERVE
*   **Sensory World-Building**: The tactile grounding of the "Heavy Silence" and the mud trails left by Elara.
    *   *Quote*: "Elara knelt beside him, her damp clothing tracking mud onto the stone."
*   **Mechanical Consequences**: The specific physical backlash of the magic on the characters.
    *   *Quote*: "As Thorne’s corrupted hand touched the Sunstone... his blackened veins glowing with a blinding, terrifying white."
*   **Thematic Debt-Binding**: The consistent motif of protection and life-debts.
    *   *Quote*: "Debt binds us deeper than stone, Kaelen." 

---

### 4. MUST-FIX -- CONTINUITY
*   **ORIGINAL**: "The Thorne’s blackened veins pulsed..." (mid)
*   **PROBLEM**: Typo/Grammar. "The Thorne’s" treats his proper name like a title or noun incorrectly.
*   **FIX**: Replace with "Thorne’s blackened veins pulsed..." or "The man’s blackened veins pulsed..."
*   **ORIGINAL**: "Kaelen/Missing Grove map (ch-02) — UNRESOLVED." (Context Database Note)
*   **PROBLEM**: While not a direct error in this text, the chapter concludes Kaelen's arc (90%) as a "dying man" without addressing the "Missing Grove map" open loop mentioned in the RAG context. If he is dead or incapacitated, this loop becomes a "Lost Loop."
*   **FIX**: Add a brief moment where Kaelen looks at the map roll in his vest or presses it toward Elara before collapsing, or explicitly have Elara notice it in her "Voice of the Forest" trance to carry the thread forward.

---

### 5. MUST-FIX -- CLARITY
*   **ORIGINAL**: "I owe you protection... I... I flow... I failed. This debt... stays."
*   **PROBLEM**: The dialogue implies Elara failed to protect Kaelen (Unpaid debt), but the RAG context states "Owes Kaelen protection (ch-06) — UNPAID." The text is clear, but the emotional logic of "This debt... stays" needs to clarify if she is taking the debt into the next book or if she is attempting to pay it with the ritual.
*   **FIX**: Sharpen the intent: "I owe you protection... I... I flow... I failed. This debt... I will carry into the roots."

---

### 6. OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS
*   **Thalric's Presence**: (Optional) Mentioning a specific sensory trigger of Thalric's (e.g., the scent of his particular pipeweed or a phrase he used) would strengthen Elara's "Need" to honor the dead without resentment.
    *   *Reference*: "She was the rot that fed the mushrooms; she was the wind that carried the pollen..."

---

### 7. FORBIDDEN CHANGES / NON-GOALS
*   **Do NOT "fix" Elara's stammering**: "I... I flow... no, I mean falter" is a required imperfection signature for her spiritual exhaustion.
*   **Do NOT modernize Thorne's dialogue**: His use of "Hark" and "Rend your bones" is intentional character flavoring.
*   **Do NOT remove the tactile habits**: Elara tracing her palm and Thorne tracing his scars are required physical tells.

---

### 8. VERDICT
**SCORE**: 88
**JUSTIFICATION**: The chapter is a strong, atmospheric conclusion that adheres closely to the Voice Signatures and World State. There is one minor grammatical "Must-Fix" ("The Thorne's") and a narrative clarity issue regarding Kaelen's unresolved map loop that requires a minor touch-point before the chapter closes.

**REVISE**