Ahead, the glowing boundary of the finish line came into view, and both John and Alex pushed themselves harder, their legs burning from the effort. The other teams were closing in, but they had a lead, however narrow. The shouts and footsteps behind them grew louder, but John and Alex didn't look back.Alex grinned, panting as he glanced at John. "Almost there, man. Let's do this!"John nodded, focusing all his remaining energy into a final burst of speed. They could feel the pressure of the other benders gaining on them, but they were just a few meters away now. The Nexus gateway loomed before them, shimmering like an open portal, and with one final push, both John and Alex crossed the threshold.The moment they crossed, the entire environment froze. Jimmy's voice boomed overhead. "And there we have it, folks! The last two qualifiers have crossed the line—John and Alex from Stronghold! That wraps up the preliminary round!"The tension that had coiled tight around John's chest loosened as the weight of their victory hit him. He slowed to a stop, bending over to catch his breath, sweat dripping down his face. Alex collapsed to the ground next to him, grinning through his exhaustion."We made it," Alex panted, lying flat on his back. "Barely, but we did it."John nodded, still struggling to process everything that had just happened. "We're in the finals," he muttered, disbelief lacing his voice.Behind them, the scattered remains of the race began to settle, and the rush of adrenaline started to fade. The teams that hadn't made it wore expressions of disappointment and frustration as they gathered around the Nexus grounds, watching the last two qualifiers catch their breath.As the energy in the arena began to dim, the reality of what they had achieved finally hit John. They were going to the final rounds—but at what cost?Anne's absence gnawed at him, and he turned to Alex. "We wouldn't have made it if it weren't for Anne," John said, his voice low."I know," Alex replied, sitting up. "But we're here now, and we have to make it count. For her."John nodded solemnly. "For her."As the lights above flickered and the preliminaries officially ended, Jimmy's voice rang out one last time. "Congratulations to all our qualifiers! Stronghold, Terra, Aqualis, and more—you've earned your place in the finals! But the real challenge begins tomorrow. Rest up, benders—your toughest battles are still ahead."With that, the Nexus dimmed, and the atmosphere shifted from the frenzy of competition to the calm before the storm. John and Alex shared a brief glance, their exhaustion temporarily forgotten. They had won their place in the finals, but it was only the beginning.Footsteps approached from behind, and before they could turn, John felt a familiar hand clap down on his shoulder. "Well, well," came Victor's voice, still brimming with that irrepressible energy, "look who finally decided to join the winners' circle!"John smirked, even though he was exhausted. "You didn't exactly wait around to help us."Victor grinned, his fiery aura flickering faintly around him. "Please, you didn't need help. But you do need a hand up." He extended a hand toward John, pulling him up with a firm grip.Isabel was right behind him, offering a hand to Alex, who still lay sprawled on the ground. "You okay there?" she asked, her voice carrying that steady confidence that defined her.Alex took her hand, pulling himself up but still distracted. "Yeah... just beat, that's all."Isabel raised an eyebrow, noticing his gaze flickering around the grounds, scanning the crowd for someone. "Max didn't make it," she said softly, cutting straight to the point. "Neither did Lila."Alex's stomach dropped. "What?" he asked, his voice tight, the fatigue in his body quickly replaced by a jolt of concern. "Lila didn't make it?"Victor's expression sobered as he glanced between John and Alex. "Yeah," he said, his usual bravado toned down. "We're the only ones from Stronghold who made it. Me, Isabel, Gordon—""Gordon?" John interrupted, glancing around. "Where is he?"Victor shrugged. "He left right after crossing. You know how he is—loner and all that. Doesn't like waiting around. But yeah, just the five of us from Stronghold."Alex couldn't hide the concern on his face. He ran a hand through his hair, looking back at the gates as if expecting Lila to appear out of nowhere. "Damn it," he muttered under his breath. He hadn't expected the prelims to shake out like this. Losing Max was bad enough—his friend was a strong competitor—but the thought of Lila not making it hit him harder than he wanted to admit.Isabel placed a hand on his arm, sensing his tension. "Hey, you did what you could. We all did. There were no guarantees in this race.""I know," Alex replied, his voice strained. "It's just... I thought she'd make it. I thought we all would."John crossed his arms, glancing between Victor and Isabel. "What happened with the others? Did you see them before the end?"Victor shook his head. "Not really. I was fighting off this guy from Aqualis when I got my token. By the time I crossed, the Nexus was already closing up. Didn't see Max or Lila after that."Isabel sighed. "It was chaos out there. No one knew who was gonna make it. But we did, and now we've got to focus on what's next."Alex nodded, but his mind was elsewhere, replaying moments from the race, wondering if he could've done more. The weight of it sat heavily on him, though he tried to push it aside. Now wasn't the time for second-guessing.Victor, never one to dwell too long, clapped his hands together. "Alright, enough of this moping. We're in the finals. That's something. We've gotta get ready for whatever's next.""Yeah," John agreed, though his mind was also lingering on the ones they'd lost along the way. He gave a final glance toward the Nexus, knowing that the hardest part was still ahead. "Let's just hope we're ready."As the group began to walk toward the resting area, Alex fell a few steps behind, his gaze still fixed on the horizon, where the last remnants of the preliminaries faded into darkness. He couldn't shake the feeling that this wasn't how it was supposed to end—not for Lila, not for Max."Come on, Alex," Victor called, waving him over. "Let's go. We've got to get our heads in the game."Alex forced a smile, pushing down his unease for now. "Yeah," he muttered. "Let's go."But even as they left the field behind, Alex's thoughts lingered on Lila, wondering where she was now and why, despite everything, he couldn't stop worrying about her.