### 1. PROSE EVIDENCE

*   "The mist clung to the ancient oaks like a lover's reluctant farewell, and Elara stepped into the forest's embrace before dawn could chase it away." (Early)
    *   This establishes the atmospheric, YA-appropriate tone and introduces the forest as a primary entity in the narrative.
*   "Most people in Oakhaven lived in a state of squinted-eye blindness." (Mid)
    *   This provides a sharp, effective metaphor for the thematic divide between Elara’s perception and the village’s mundane perspective.
*   "It moved like ink dropped into a clear pool, a suffocating blackness that moved with mechanical precision." (Mid)
    *   This successfully distinguishes the "unnatural" nature of the corruption from the organic beauty of the Elderwood through contrasting textures.
*   "A stag burst from the thicket. But it wasn't the noble creature of the woods. Its fur was matted with a strange, oily resin, and its eyes—usually a soft, liquid brown—were a milky, sightless white." (Late)
    *   The prose effectively utilizes sensory horror to transition the chapter from mystical wonder to visceral threat.

---

### 2. CHARACTER VOICE AUDIT

**Character: Elara**
*   **Dialogue:** "The mushrooms grow better where the magic is thickest... You said so yourself. 'The best medicine comes from the most bitten bark.'"
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics:** YES. Uses foraging/apothecary terminology ("bitten bark", "silver-cap").
*   **Forbidden Patterns:** YES. Avoids overly formal or adult-coded technical jargon.
*   **Emotional Register:** YES. Her curiosity outweighs her fear, consistent with her 55% arc position where she begins to accept her role as Vessel.

**Character: Silas**
*   **Dialogue:** "I say a lot of things. Most of 'em are meant to keep you alive long enough to inherit this gods-forsaken shop. Don’t use my own proverbs to... to hang yourself."
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics:** YES. Uses contractions ('em), gruff metaphors, and a cynical tone toward the world.
*   **Forbidden Patterns:** YES. No overly flowery or poetic language; he is grounded and earthy.
*   **Emotional Register:** YES. His anxiety about the "Iron Rot" reflects the world state (Agitated/Hostile spirits).

---

### 3. STRENGTHS TO PRESERVE

*   **Environmental Foreshadowing:** The scene where "the moss beneath her feet hummed with a low-frequency thrum" (Early) creates a physical sense of the world-state before the action escalates.
*   **The Sickness Mechanic:** The description of the stag dissolving into "gray, ash-like dust" (Late) is a vital world-building rule regarding the Corruption/Blight that must be kept for consistency with later chapters.
*   **Elara’s Rebellion:** The moment Elara lies to Silas—"No," she lied, the word tasting like copper in her mouth—is a critical character beat that establishes her internal agency.

---

### 4. MUST-FIX -- CONTINUITY

*   **ORIGINAL:** "The air was thick with the scent of damp loam and the sharp, citric tang of pine needles." (Early)
*   **PROBLEM:** Minor continuity risk with RAG Database regarding "Air Aspect." While fine as flavor, later chapters emphasize the Air Sanctum is unreached; the prose should avoid attributing "tang" or "scent" to magical sources yet to keep the elemental progression distinct.
*   **FIX:** Keep as is, but ensure no "unexplained" air-currents assist her yet. (Note: No major continuity breaks found; the text aligns well with the Ch-06 state provided in the RAG).

*   **ORIGINAL:** "She moved with a lightness that had been earned through sixteen years of dodging roots and silent stalking."
*   **PROBLEM:** Age inconsistency. The target audience is YA 14-18, and Elara is established as 16 here. However, her Arc is already at 55% in the RAG context (Ch-06). This chapter is labeled **Ch-01**.
*   **FIX:** Ensure the RAG "Project Context" is recognized as a future state (Ch-06) while this text correctly establishes the baseline for Ch-01. No change to text needed, but note the "debt of protection" to Kaelen hasn't happened yet.

---

### 5. MUST-FIX -- CLARITY

*   **ORIGINAL:** "...the mechanical precision. It didn't belong to the forest. It smelled of scorched metal and old blood."
*   **PROBLEM:** The introduction of "mechanical" and "scorched metal" is a jarring leap into steampunk/industrial imagery that isn't sufficiently explained for a forest-set fantasy chapter.
*   **FIX:** Add a sensory anchor to show why Elara recognizes "metal" if she's a village girl. Change to: "It smelled of the village forge during a mid-summer dry spell—hot, scorched metal and old blood."

*   **ORIGINAL:** "The moment her skin touched the stem, the world exploded into an Echo." 
*   **PROBLEM:** The concept of an "Echo" is used as both a noun for a sound and a proper noun for a vision. The transition is slightly too fast for a reader to understand if "Echo" is a psychic event or just a sound.
*   **FIX:** "The moment her skin touched the stem, the world exploded into an Echo—not a mere sound, but a vision that pulled her from the soil."

---

### 6. OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS

*   **Suggestion:** Clarify Silas's role relative to the Council to better set up the "Elder Thalric" mention in the RAG.
*   **Quote:** "Entry was forbidden by the Village Council..."
*   **Reason:** Mentioning Thalric here (even in passing) would strengthen the emotional impact of his later death in Chapter 5.

---

### 7. FORBIDDEN CHANGES / NON-GOALS

*   **Silas’s Gruffness:** Do not "soften" Silas. His line "Don’t use my own proverbs to... to hang yourself" is vital for establishing the harsh stakes of Oakhaven.
*   **Elara’s Naivety:** While she is "resolute" in Ch-06, in this Ch-01 text she is allowed to be scared and "knees in the mud." This is an intentional arc starting point.
*   **Repeated "Thump-thump":** This onomatopoeia is a character/object signature for the leaf and should not be edited for "better" prose.

---

### 8. VERDICT

**SCORE: 90**
**VERDICT: PASS**

The chapter effectively establishes the YA fantasy tone and aligns with the world-building rules (Blight, Echoes, Ward-Stones). The minor clarity issues regarding the "industrial" smell of the corruption are the only friction points in an otherwise strong opening.