James Rolten was born into the 4th generation of an American ranching family that dominates the American west. Steaks and ground beef that fed the entire nation on top of prized racehorses that range the families land, had no interest to James. As the third born of his father, James was never going to be the heir of the Rolten empire, and he was fine with that.
Born in the 1980s James grew up fascinated with the internet and videogames- they were his true calling. Wanting nothing more than to forget the cowboying and horse saddling, and develop his own games, James went to his father and told him of his dream.
John Rolten who was as rough as they come, always a lip full of tabaco and a curse in his mouth was unimpressed with James. Angered with the fact a son of his, from a family whose legacy and identity were cowboying and break backs, would want to ride an office chair over a horse. In his anger John gave James a check of ten million dollars, saying its his inheritance and to never contact the family again. In distraught over being disowned simply because he was different, James took the money hesitantly and on his 20th birthday in 2001 he started to attend the most prestigious universities in the world to learn all he needed about video game development.
Stanford, UC Berkeley, and MIT, James had attended some of the finest computer science programs in the world, not just wanting to build games, but the systems and engines it would run on.
10 years of university and 10 years of drafting the plot for the game he drams of making, a role-playing game that would span continents and kingdoms. A game with sophisticated NPCs where they all played role in the story, every player action taken would have consequences that affect the progression of a campaign.
The decade of tiredness and resilience left James worn out. 10 million dollars was not a small sum of cash, but it wasn't enough to realize his vision. To make his dreams reality James would need a team of industry soldiers, employees to help craft his baby. The cost of starting a company and affording the development of his game left games leading a less than modest lifestyle, not spenidng money on himself but investing heavily throughout his time in school hoping for enough returns to fund his objectives.
By luck or providence, James had made the right moves with his capital, trusting the right financial funds to manage his money and grow it, while also hitting it big on his own investments. James had done it, long and arduous hours studying, writing, and living life cheaply was finally showing results.
The results shown were not all good however, James under the stress of university and the loss of his family still paining him, turned to nicotine for relief. The buzz from inhaling cigarette smoke soothed James in some of his darkest hours, but as the years the past the buzz stopped stimulating his brain and all that was left was his dependence. His smoking habit on top the poor diet and exercise routine James lived with for years, even after founding his company and starting development and after finally allowing himself to buy a nice mansion and car his habits were still there. His unhealthy lifestyle had destroyed his body beyond repair.
Six months before his games release, an entire 8 years of development and 18 years after being disowned by his father his game was ready. This period of time was supposed to time of celebration and focus to finish rounding out any bugs in his games code, but it wasnt. Feeling short of breath and his back spiking in pain every time he coughed, James had to go to the doctors, and there he was given a gut-wrenching diagnosis.
Stage 3B lung cancer. Inoperable.
The diagnosis completely crushed James, doctors were even unable to determine how long he had left to live. Months, 2 years maybe, the most important time of his life now turned the most tragic.
38 years old and James may not see 40, but what he would see is the launch of his game, the only thing he had left.
Yet funnily enough the gods, or the universal maybe even a creature from myth had different ideas, after his diagnosis James could hardly function, until he realized he was not dead yet- no wife or children all he would leave behind is his game and the company that owns it so he was going to see it through.
A week of isolation in his bedroom, James heads into his office past the companys closing time to work, still being the owner and CEO, he could do such a thing, and it made him feel more in control of his life.
Sitting down in the RnD room inspecting the Genisis Engine 1 he had created specifically for his game, he breaks down sobbing. The extreme sadness he is feeling, the howls of his screams, awaken the Genisis Engine 1, James tears falling to the floor and over the table lead directly into the hardware of the engine. The tears do not harm the engine as you would expect water to, instead the engine responds.
Powering up the bright white RGB lights of the engine cause James to jump from his chair in surprise, and before he can react a force invisible to his eyes reaches out and taps him between the eyes
BOOOM
The Genisis Engine 1 explodes leveling the entire building the company rents, yet James to himself appears unharmed but he cannot see, and it feels like he is floating through a void
Floating and drifting throughout nothingness James grows in the darkness, without an eternal clock he cannot deduce the time passed, but he knows it is years
Years on top of years aimlessly without direction or sight a voice whispers to him
"Master, Good luck and have fun!"
[Genesis?] James disoriented and on the verge of his ego collapsing due to losing all of his sense, would never mistake the voice of the AI he built to operate the Genisis Engine 1
The wishes of genesis snapped James clear, after years of loneliness and nothing he has heard something, no someone familiar and it almost made him feel conscious
Screaming out for Genisis to speak to him but to no response, James spends more time floating and damning himself for conjuring audios in his head, floating and loathing, floating and loathing some more bright light starts to appear in the distance. James had thought and wondered if this was what was described when somebody is reincarnates or ascends to heaven, the light at the end of the tunnel. He starts to rationalize that the years spent in the void were the gods judging him, and now they are finally allowing his entry into paradise.
He doesnt know how right and wrong he is.
As years continue to pass by James inches closer and closer to the white light. Drawing nearer and nearer it starts to drive him crazy, the anticipation and fear within him cripple the body he imagines he still has.
Swimming along the void for hundreds of years and James had finally made it the light, piercing through it expecting to be greeted by a handsome angel or a lovely goddess, he closes his eyes and breathes a sigh of relief
Opening his eyes he sees fresh greenery and trees in his peripheral vison dancing in the wind, however there is nobody around, and he cannot move his head. Unable to look left or right James begins to panic, if he had a body he would be hyperventilating. Freaking out James, begins to recognize his surroundings, it looks a lot like the loading screen when you boot up his game- Tales of Aether
Staring around and analyzing the environment he notices that it doesn't just look like his games loading screen, it is the games loading screen. The way the trees move predetermined by a set amount of time, the stone half wall along the road he made himself, it was all coming back to him, the hours spent in the art department designing such things.
Soon after his realization the loading screen cuts black, and IT appears. The main menu of his game, the logo still there but the options and actual menu gone.
Before James can even try to understand what was happening, Genisis finally speaks to him again
"Please say begin"
after a pause
"Please say begin"
"Please say begin"
[What the f**k is going on] "Genisis, what is this? What is going on?" James desperately seeks an answer
"Please say begin"
"GENISIS!"
"110001001Master011000Please11101Say0100110Begin01000"