Hello everyone. This is not an actual chapter. This series is a continuation of an idea that was started by another author. As a result, I do not own the intellectual property rights to the original chapter 1 of this story and you will have to find it by going to the link below.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/49033/mother-of-learning-the-au-chapters/chapter/810755/abyss-of-time

The original 1st chapter of "Abyss of Time" is, in turn, an alternate universe story of this author's main series. An absolutely fantastic story entitled "Mother of Learning" which is currently the top rated on the completed fictions list on this site.

It is quite likely that if you are here, you have already read this impressive series and have most likely found this story through that one. However, if you have somehow found this story first, then I strongly recommend that you go read Mother of Learning first, and then check out nobody103's alternate universe chapters, before coming here to read my continuation of the story.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

For ease of access purposes, I will also leave a link to Mother of Learning here as well.

https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/21220/mother-of-learning

I do not presently have plans to expand on the 4th time looper AU story, or any other AU stories that nobody103 may happen to come up with. My main reason for writing this one is because I saw a lot of opportunity in it both to expand upon the already very well established world, and also for a role reversal story in which it is Zach who breaths new life back into the quest by the tired and morally degraded Zorian.

I also really liked the idea of running with a concept that someone else has written the 1st chapter of. It presents several challenges that I have to now find the answers for. The most important among these challenges are figuring out why the higher order time-loop exists, what are the mechanics of it, and how do they get out of it?

These are all questions I had to find an answer for before even embarking in on this writing adventure. And, I think I have managed to come up with some rather good answers to all 3 of those key central questions.

As for what those answers are, the only person I intend to tell before the story gets to that point naturally is nobody103, and then only if he requests it. Of course I am going to pay the proper courtesy to the author of the original material that I'm basing my work off of.