Or maybe...

by ExigentContact, Thursday, February 14, 2013, 08:17 (4300 days ago) @ Blue Ninja
edited by ExigentContact, Thursday, February 14, 2013, 08:24

I doubt it, considering that the description makes this place out to be extremely barren. What we've seen of artistic representation in the mock-ups seem to indicate Earth is still capable of supporting life just fine. It's possible, but I find it much more likely to be Mercury when taking into consideration the nature of each of these text panels (each of the geomantic symbols ties back to a god/planet, and Wednesday's symbols was "Albus"--typically associated with Mercury).

The narrator seems to think there are "a thousand" names that could potentially have lived on the surface. Whoever the narrator is referring to (likely man) "remembers" a more hospitable climate. "Remember" in this case is rather important in the wording. Is it a direct memory, or one that stems from scientific observation? Did mankind terraform Mercury and watch it fail, or was there something else that lived here than humanity discovered during their Golden Age?

"Names" of course, is likely referring to species. So what lived here? Why did it leave? My only possible speculation (and this is raw speculation on my part) is that the Traveler has either been here before and assisted some other races to ascension (think Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke), or the race here left of their own accord, with The Traveler merely observing. Here's some more crazy conjecture: what if our main alien enemy originated or at least called the Solar System home? What if they had a home on Mercury, and left due to bad circumstances? What if they are seeking to reclaim what they see as theirs in Destiny?

We go to the last lines:

"The answer feels like the iron heart of a collapsed star,
and you realize the union between the past and the future is now."

If our enemy lived in the Solar System long ago, then them returning to take back what they feel is theirs through violence would probably fill one with a sense of dread--the feeling of collapsed star's heart, perhaps. A dearth of hope, certainly. Perhaps we're realizing that the past (the enemy) and the future (humanity) are to meet in battle (union), and that the battle is coming soon (now).