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I think we may sort-of find out in Chronoclasm. (Or "Out Of Time", Adam mentioned in the chatroom that this name would appear after 'Metastasis' in Steam.)

Interesting- I come here to discuss my theories regarding said portal, and not only do I find an in-depth discussion already in progress, but both of the theories I support have already been mentioned. Those are, of course, the ultra-technological race that wound up being undone by their own technology, and the time-portal idea.

I personally subscribe to the time portal theory - it just seems to work. One, we know Antlions came from Xen. There are Antlions there, but that place is obviously not Xen. If you're like me, and decided to noclip to that place (just go straight down), you likely noticed some markedly Combine architecture, but also a human-stile I-beam type material. Oh, and sand - lots and lots of sand. So, what place has Antlions, human- and combine-esque construction, and the potential for mass desertification. Earth, of course. Think about it - we beat the Combine at some point in the future, reverse engineer Combine technology, and, given our volatile human natures, we blow ourselves to pieces.

There is, of course, more evidence for this. Near the beginning of M3, you see a hologram of Earth. Later, near the portal, you see a hologram of the other planet. Perhaps some kind of now-and-then comparison? The title Chronoclasm / Out of Time also lends itself to time-travel dynamics. Then we take into account Ace's post, and we have a very well laid out theory of the world beyond that portal, and pretty much no evidence against it. Unless, of course, I missed something.

As convincing as these arguments are, may I play the Devil's advocate? In Combine controlled Earth, vast tracts of the ocean are dried up - deserts, littered with ship wrecks and great animal carcasses. Just think of the concept art from Raising the Bar for the Wastelands, and of the brief trip there in HL2's malfunctioning teleport.