### 1. PROSE EVIDENCE
*   **Quote 1 (Early):** "She swayed like mist-shrouded reeds in a rising wind, her fingers instinctively reaching for the rough bark of the archway to ground herself."
    *   This effectively demonstrates Elara’s "What they REACH FOR" tactile grounding habit while reinforcing her "swaying" physical state under spiritual depletion.
*   **Quote 2 (Mid):** "The Council of Oakhaven... pierced a dormant vein of the world-soul to draw power, and when it soured, they let the rot spread to hide their theft."
    *   This provides a concise and impactful summary of the "Council Corruption" open loop, utilizing rhythmic sentence structure consistent with the Vessel role.
*   **Quote 3 (Late):** "I... I flow toward the village soon... The waters... no, the purpose is clear."
    *   This perfectly captures the "Imperfection signature" of Elara’s speech when she is spiritually drained, specifically the water-metaphor stammer.
*   **Quote 4 (Late):** "I’m just a girl covered in mud who happened to survive a god’s touch. It’s quite ridiculous, really..."
    *   This successfully hits the "dry self-deprecation" humor profile without breaking the character's gravitas.

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### 2. CHARACTER VOICE AUDIT

**ELARA VANCE**
*   **Dialogue Quote:** "The falls whisper what the roots already know—debt binds us deeper than stone, Kaelen."
*   **Signature vocabulary/tics?** YES. Uses "By the roots" earlier in the scene and invokes "Elderwood lore" metaphors.
*   **Avoids forbidden patterns?** YES. She avoids casual slang like "no big deal" and maintains a measured, rhythmic tone.
*   **Emotional register consistent?** YES. She is "burdened but resolute," moving from reluctance to taking ownership of the leadership role.

**KAELEN**
*   **Dialogue Quote:** "A guardian does not sleep while the Vessel is adrift."
*   **Signature vocabulary/tics?** YES. His speech is "stoic" and "clipped," reflecting his vigilance.
*   **Avoids forbidden patterns?** YES. He remains protective and avoids any admissions of doubt, consistent with the Sun-Guard legacy.
*   **Emotional register consistent?** YES. He has "fully accepted the role of Guardian" as per the character state.

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### 3. STRENGTHS TO PRESERVE
*   **Physical Grounding:** The tactile detail of Elara reaching for bark ("fingers instinctively reaching for the rough bark") and mud tracking ("A trail of dark, rich mud followed her") reinforces the character's sensory connection to the world and her current physical state.
*   **The Debt Motif:** The specific phrasing in the final line ("The falls whisper what the roots already know—the debt is paid") ties back to her core voice signature and the Chapter 06 obligation to Kaelen, providing a satisfying sense of narrative completion.

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### 4. MUST-FIX -- CONTINUITY
*   **ORIGINAL:** "The Circle of Thorns was gone, Thorne Blackroot nothing more than dust and memory..."
*   **PROBLEM:** The World State context explicitly states Thorne was "calcified and shattered," not turned to dust. While "dust and memory" can be metaphorical, in a world where magical remains are evidence, precision is needed.
*   **FIX:** "The Circle of Thorns was gone, Thorne Blackroot nothing more than calcified shards and memory..."

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### 5. MUST-FIX -- CLARITY
*   **ORIGINAL:** "The political collapse of the Council isn't a possibility; it's an emergence."
*   **PROBLEM:** The word "emergence" in this context is slightly abstract and obscures the threat level. The context says they are "TERRIFIED" and "Vulnerable to exposure."
*   **FIX:** "The political collapse of the Council isn't a possibility; it's an inevitability."

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### 6. OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS
*   **Suggestion:** Reference the "Council Ledger" specifically.
    *   **Quote:** "And stone is where the Council hid their shame."
    *   **Reason:** Elara currently possesses the Council Ledger/Evidence. Having her touch the satchel or mention the physical proof would tighten the "Open Loops" mentioned in the RAG context regarding the "Council Corruption Reckoning."

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### 7. FORBIDDEN CHANGES / NON-GOALS
*   **Do NOT "fix" Elara's stuttering:** The line "I... I flow... no, I mean falter" is an intentional imperfection signature for spiritual depletion. It must remain.
*   **Do NOT modernize the dialogue:** Phrases like "By the roots" and metaphorical comparisons to "stone" and "whispering falls" are key to the genre and character voice.
*   **Do NOT remove the mud trails:** The RAG context specifically mentions that NPCs notice the mud she tracks; this is a permanent character quirk.

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### 8. VERDICT
**SCORE: 92**
**REVISE**
The prose is exceptionally well-aligned with the voice signatures and RAG documentation, but two minor continuity/clarity fixes are required to ensure the physical state of the antagonist (Thorne's remains) and the political stakes of the ending are perfectly clear before moving into the final confrontation with the Council.