It was an egg!?

"Where am I? Why is everything so dark? Why can't I move?" These were the first thoughts of Arthur as he awakened from what felt as a long, yet satisfactory sleep. However, despite the initial confusion, he still managed to calm down and tried to see if he could remember what had happened.

"My mind is still clouded, but I'm sure I should be at home. Last night I went out to celebrate the successful results of the final exam with my classmates.... wait a second, have I actually managed to go back home? Don't tell me I died on the way! I mean, I had indeed drunk but this is still..."

Arthur was so mentally shaken that stopped thinking for a few seconds. He was only 21, of course he still wanted to live.

"No, this can't be true. At the very least I'm still able to reason so I can't be dead. Hopefully this is more similar to a coma, and since I've realized this, I should be able to forcefully awaken. Let's try assessing the situation with more calm."

Having regained control over his senses and determined to continue living, Arthur tried once again to move and, contrary to his previous attempt, he now had the tranquillity necessary to notice that he could indeed shake, albeit only by a bit.

"Uhm, this is definitely good. It feels as if I'm confined into a narrow, yet comfortable space. Well, let's try to see if I can break free."

And so, Arthur started shaking with all his might, as if his own life depended on this. However, despite all of his efforts, this little prison of his was both hard and flexible, withstanding everything with ease. Arthur was thus initially greatly disappointed and in a certain way discouraged, starting to think that he would forever stay there, never again to see the light of the day, nor being able to enjoy the laughs of his friends or the sweet suffering of studying or even the light novels that he loved so much.

"No, I must not surrender! If I do, everything will be lost. I WILL break free and I WILL enjoy life the way I want. There are so many things that I still want to see and do in this world. Even if thin stupid wall seems indestructible, even an impregnable fortress falls after a long siege! Let's see who gives up earlier."

This was the beginning of Arthur's seemingly endless attempts at breaking the wall, that he did whenever he was not sleeping. Indeed, he was not eating! Arthur was astonished as well when he found out that no matter what he did, he never felt hungry. At first, he was greatly puzzled by this, but then decided that it was probably the effect of the life-preserving machine that he was in. So, while praising with all he could the technological and medical advancement of his time, threw the problem to the back of his mind, as he still had more urgent issues to deal with. Like this days, weeks and months (or at least this felt like to Arthur, as it is close to impossible to perfectly keep trace of the passage of time while living in a completely dark place) passed, without producing any results. It was around this time, however, that Arthur noticed two strange things: firstly, he was too calm! Excluding his initial break down, he never wavered again and even at that time I was only for a few seconds! Even while he was still "awake" he was known by his friends for being cold and not easily shaken, but this was still too much! How could he possibly maintain his sanity in such a flawless way while not being able to see, hear or feel anything for months. Every human being would have been driven crazy by now without a doubt. And yet he was fine! Arthur seriously started to wonder if something had changed in him after entering this "coma", but despite being scared, he was unable to find a solution.

As for the second strange event, it was a green light that started appearing at some point and lasted for around 30 seconds, then disappeared again, leaving space to the pitch-black darkness that had been his companion for these last few months. The first time it appeared Arthur mistakenly thought it was a sign that he had succeeded in breaking free, however when it disappeared, he was overcome by a huge despair and even started cursing at it for lasting so little. But then the light started coming back periodically, approximately every two or three days, making Arthur even more confused.

"Still, it doesn't seem to be a bad thing, and instead I feel a bit stronger and healthier every time I bask in it. So long as it continues to be beneficial, I shouldn't concern myself too much with it, I still have a wall to break."

This life continued for around another two months before Arthur notice the biggest change he had ever felt since he woke up in this much hated dark space.

"Uhm, I can finally feel my limbs!"

Indeed, since the beginning, Arthur had never felt his own body. Although he could move himself, it was more similar to a forceful vibration that he imposed on his whole body, rather than an actual movement. But now, he started to feel the familiar sensation of having arms and legs.... even if they were a bit different than usual?

"Strange, why do they seem to be of different length and proportion that what I remember? Could I have actually forgotten what it feels like to have limbs? Or worse could it be that I got involved in an accident so terrible that I've become permanently crippled? There is no way right.... Yeah, it must be that I have yet to regain complete sensibility and so they appear different."

Having hypnotized himself in such a way, he then continued struggling with his work, now more confident than ever that he will be able to escape this prison. In the following months he continued to obtain a much clearer impression of his body and despite it grew constantly and increasingly different from his memory, he still managed to persuade himself that it was just that, an impression, and nothing more. And as such fateful day, he found some difference in that detested wall.

"..... It seems... less flexible? More.... fragile?

…..

…..

…..

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! You stupid wall, you have finally given up! It was about time you realized who you were up against! You were indeed a worthy opponent; I shall remember you. Now break for me!"

As motivated as he could be, Arthur started attacking the wall in a frenzy and continued to do so for a full day without rest. And for the first time in more than a year, the wall gave in! A cobweb made out of light spread out on its surface, and with a loud CRACK it shattered to pieces. Arthur was immediately invested by a blinding light, which his eyes were no longer accustomed to, as well as a number of different smells and noises. He then raised one hand to shield himself from the brightness, and remained in this position for about 10 minutes, before he was able to open his. But the moment he did, he was scared out of his wits.

"I-Is t-that a claw? W-where is my hand? D-don't tell me it ….... WAS ACTUALLY AN EGG!?"

Indeed, Arthur had always considered the possibility of him being inside an egg. And in fact, he had always thought that it was far more reasonable than him being in a coma. After all, what kind of coma had a wall? He had repeatedly told himself that it was a sort of "mental wall", but subconsciously he knew he was just lying. Moreover, as a great fan of light novels, how could he not recognize this situation.... He was just unwilling to accept it, but now it was impossible to do so.

"YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"