Inside was a room at least 100 meters in length. I couldn't fathom how such a space could fit inside a mountain. The size of the room was the least shocking thing about it. There were statues of people with long beards, as wide as they were tall. At the center were all the children, from newborns to those around 16 years old. The newborns were being cared for by the same statue-like people, who, despite their short stature of around four feet and long beards, were evidently female, at least judging by their figures. It was strange seeing beards on females. Among the children, there were a few British kids, easily countable on one hand since few officers brought their families to India. They seemed to be around my age.

A stage was set up in the middle of the room, with about five or six of these short people standing on it. I guessed we would get more information from them. I started walking towards the center. Most of the kids seemed scared, and they had every reason to be. Being transported to some mountain away from their families with no idea of what was happening would terrify anyone. I, on the other hand, had seen things that made my heart feel as if it were made of stone. I had no one waiting for me. The only direction I could go was forward.

As I walked towards the middle of the room, one of the people on the stage stepped forward. He had a beard and hair as black as the sky at night without the moon. Clearing his throat, he began to speak. His voice was so heavy and authoritative, commanding the attention of everyone in the room. Despite the noise of crying and fighting children, everyone stopped to listen. It was as if we couldn’t focus on anything else, bringing a semblance of peace to the chaos.

"Welcome, humans. My name is Albadien, and I am the head guide for you children. You will be staying with us while your parents and other adults go through the tutorial. You will be provided with food, a place to rest, and some knowledge about your new reality," he announced. "I know you must have many questions, and we will try to answer everything. First, we are known as Dwarves, one of the species that live in this Multiverse. You will meet many more species in your coming years as your world integrates into the System. At the end of the room, we have placed screens where you can ask all your questions. If there is something that can’t be answered, we will be happy to help you. Now, those with questions, form a line. If you don't have any questions and want a place to rest, proceed to the right where you can access your resting area. This is a difficult time for your small planet, and we hope to help you as much as we can."

With his speech ending, he turned and disappeared through a back door I hadn’t noticed before.

Most of the children above 10 years old moved towards the screens Albadien mentioned, while the rest were guided to the resting area. I joined the older children. The screens were about a foot in length and width, placed on podiums with a dwarf standing behind each. There were about 50 screens and approximately 100,000 children in the room. With 70% of them being under 10, that still left 30,000 with questions. We started forming lines. Each child who reached the screen received something that fit in their hands and then moved towards the resting area.

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I stood in line behind a girl who seemed to be around 14 or 15. She appeared lost, staring at the floor. Her black hair, tied in a ponytail, was a common trait among 95% of Indians. She was about five feet tall. I didn’t want to disturb her, considering what everyone had gone through. Behind me were two foreigners. Just my luck. I kept an eye on them, but they maintained their distance. Strangely, I could understand their conversation, even though I didn't know their language. Most of the other foreigners were in another line, standing together. From their conversation, I gathered they were siblings. Both had brown hair; the boy was almost my height, and the girl was about five feet tall.

Given what their people had done to us and my family just a night before, I was about to punch the boy in the face. But before I could, I heard the girl speaking. "What are we going to do now, William? We have no idea where Mom and Dad are. Are they even alive?"

"Don't worry, Em. It's not like they used to help us before this. Besides, everyone is in the same boat. We will manage as always," William replied.

Listening to their helplessness took the anger out of me. Children can't be blamed for their parents' crimes. The more I thought about it, the more they seemed out of place. Foreigners never mixed with us. They always acted superior, like the other group standing apart even in the line. Those, I wouldn’t mind punching to the ground.

The line moved quickly, and soon it was my turn. The dwarf woman, this one without a beard, handed me something about eight inches long and four inches wide. It was as light as paper and looked like glass with light coming from it. Never in my dreams could I have imagined such a thing. I guess I would have to broaden my mind to what’s possible now.

“Your name?” she asked.

“Krishna Dhingra,” I replied.

She typed something into the panel in front of her. “You can ask any questions you have about the integration through this device. Just speak, and it will reply. If it can’t answer, come back here and we will help you.”

“Thank you, ma’am,” I said.

“You can go to the resting area now. Your room number is in the device, and it can help you find it,” she instructed.

I nodded and moved towards the door on the right. Most of the younger kids had already gone. I had no idea how a screen could help me find my room, but like I said, anything seems possible now.

The door was open, leading to a corridor that ended in a smaller room where people were gathering. Dwarves were guiding everyone. Once about 500 people were in the room, a dwarf would stop everyone, do something on his device, and the room would be enveloped in a blue sheen, suddenly dropping. My mouth hung open in amazement.

Before I could think more about it, someone tapped my shoulder. I turned around to face the brother-sister duo.

“Hi, my name is William. Can you understand me?” he asked, speaking slowly to make himself clear. I didn't want to reply, but acting on prejudice wouldn’t make me any better than those who oppressed us.

Taking a deep breath to stay calm, I responded, “Yes.”

Before he could say more, another room dropped from above, empty. It was our turn to board. This felt like a ride at the circus, just on a grander scale and operated by beings beyond my understanding.

This should be fun.