Reversed messages

In the Halo 2 song Destroyer's Invocation, (the first movement of the Mausoleum Suite on the Halo 2: Original Soundtrack), a mysterious voice chants. If this mumbling is reversed ([[Media:Reversed_message.ogg|listen]]), a voice is heard saying:


 * ...I have walked among men and angels for three thousand years. Time has no end... no beginning... no purpose.


 * I wander the earth, seeking forgiveness for my horrible crimes against God and man.


 * I live to see death, destruction, over the light, but the light cannot be extinguished.


 * I live in a prison of my own demise.


 * I am lost in time...

Most speculate that this voice is Gravemind, however, the debate surrounding this message is furious-other theories include one of the Prophets, the Arbiter, Cortana, or even the Master Chief himself. The voice is heard during the cutscene before The Arbiter, the level Gravemind when you rescue the Marines, and during The Great Journey when you fight Tartarus.

Recently, however, Marty O'Donnell, in a post on the Halo.Bungie.Org forums, stated that he wondered "why the transcript (of the reversed message) is still wrong." This seems to indicate that changes must be made to the transcript before it is accurate.

Here is the voice in video form: 71JdQiXLTBk

This sound clip has been around for a while, and it has been recognized by long time Bungie fans. This was said by the AI Durandal in Bungie's Marathon series, after his conflicts with freeing the S'pht in order to try and help the Pfhor, and he realized the wrong he had done. There has been some speculation over this, and most of it deals with when Cortana says there is a "presence" in the covenant ship, which is stronger than any Covenant AI that she has come in contact with. Many people believe that Durandal is somehow actually "Trapped in Time" as the line states and that he is indeed in the Covenant ship, possibly the Forerunner ship, ultimately boosting the speculation of Bungie connecting their Marathon and Halo games.