diff --git a/the-starfall-accord/staging/chapter-ch-12.md b/the-starfall-accord/staging/chapter-ch-12.md
index 9e8036a..a9c6168 100644
--- a/the-starfall-accord/staging/chapter-ch-12.md
+++ b/the-starfall-accord/staging/chapter-ch-12.md
@@ -70,4 +70,11 @@ He didn't look at Mira as he walked toward the door, but he stopped with his han
 
 He opened the door, and the chaos of the academy flooded in—the light of a dozen floating lanterns, the scent of beeswax, and the frantic energy of a hundred students preparing for a celebration they didn't know might be their last.
 
-Mira followed him out, her expression a study in professional composure, but her palms were still stinging. The heat between them hadn't dissipated with the interruption; it had merely gone underground, a tectonic shift waiting for the Gala to provide the final crack.
\ No newline at end of file
+Mira followed him out, her expression a study in professional composure, but her palms were still stinging. The heat between them hadn't dissipated with the interruption; it had merely gone underground, a tectonic shift waiting for the Gala to provide the final crack.
+
+---
+## AUTHOR DIRECTION - BUTTERFLY EFFECT CASCADE (Ch12)
+Kaelen is dead (died Ch04). Do NOT write him alive. Do NOT name him First Regent.
+- The Grey Era: Aric (fire) and Elara (ice) are appointed joint First Wardens of the new unified Academy.
+- The epilogue should honor Kaelen's memory without sentimentality: something permanent was named after him. A ward. A courtyard. The arena memorial.
+- The final image of Mira looking at the arena should evoke Kaelen without naming him directly.