Not long after this proclamation, a man arrives in his metropolis. The man was so hideous that the guards who arrested him were forced to shut their eyes as they brought him to the palace. As soon as the man brought before Vathek, his hideous appearance nearly harm both Alice and Vine as he thought that these two were no ordinary children. The man’s harmful appearance triggers Alice and Vine’s protective barrier. The activation warns both of them of the incoming danger causing Vine to fall on his back from the shock while Alice flinches in shock from the man’s harmful aura. “The magic barrier I set for both of us activated automatically...! This man is dangerous, he triggered our protection from harmful influence,” Alice thought with full awareness. “Just who is he?” Vine squints his eyes with a cautious look. The Caliph himself appears startled by the horrible visage but joy overcoming this emotion of terror when the stranger displayed such rarities that he had never seen before and which he had no conception of them.
In reality, nothing was ever so extraordinary as the merchandise this stranger produced. Vathek’s curiosities which weren’t less admirable for their workmanship than splendor had their several virtues described on a parchment fastened to each much to Vine’s amazement which urged Alice to cover his eyes from looking at them. There are slippers that helped anyone’s feet to walk on a rough ground, knives that cut without hand motion, sabers that deal the blow at the person anyone wished to strike, and unidentified gems. The sabers that emit a dazzling radiance attracted Caliph’s biggest attention. The Caliph promised himself to decipher at his leisure the uncouth characters engraved on their sides. Without asking for the price, he ordered the guards to bring all the gold from his treasury and commanded the merchant to take what he wants. The stranger complied with modesty and silence while Alice looked with suspicion.
Vathek, imagining that the merchant's taciturn behavior added by his inspiring presence awed him, encouraging him to ask the merchant with an air of condescension who he was, whence he came, and where he obtained such beautiful commodities. The man or rather, a monster rubs his forehead three times instead of making a reply. His body was blacker than ebony, pat his paunch four times with enormous projection, opened his huge eyes wide. His eyes glow like a firebrand and begin to laugh with a hideous noise and Alice noticed his long amber-colored teeth colored in green much to Alice’s inner fear. The Caliph, though a bit startled, renewed his inquiries but without being able to procure a reply, he exclaims,” Thou knoweth who I am, varlet? And to whom thou aim thy gibes?” Vathek addresses his guards,” Have ye heard him speak? Is he dumb?”
“He hath spoken thought a little,” The guards replied. “Let him speak again, then,” Vathek said. Alice gasps and stands between them with a hand motioning stop. “Halt, thou know what would happen if thy listen to this stranger?” Alice tried to stop him. “What nonsense thou speak about, thy students?” Vathek asked. “Thou art dealing with the Devil!! Thou knoweth what that mean??” Alice asked. “What do thy knoweth of the man? Thy knoweth nothing of it. Guards! Sent the two to the prison, thy art no longer thy students,” Vathek commanded. “What? Thou wouldn’t put us in prison, thou hath no idea of the consequence for listening to the merchant!” Vine shouted. “Silence, little wretch!! Thou dareth spoke to thy teacher that way??” Vathek shouted and his hand hit Alice’s face. “Ow! Grrr! Thou shalt be condemned for thy action! I knew from the beginning that thou art no Caliph, thou had no love for thy people, thou art nothing but a man of gluttonous sin. Despair shalt be thy reward in the end soon!” Alice cursed Vathek for what he did to her. As Alice and Vine were brought to prison, Vathek turned his eyes on the merchant. “Tell me who you are, from whence thy came and where thy procured these singular curiosities or I swear by the name of Balaam that I will make thou rue thy pertinacity,” Vathek shouted. The menace was followed by the Caliph’s angry and perilous glances that the stranger sustained without the slightest emotion although his eyes are staring at the prince’s terrible eye.
No words can describe the amazement of the courtiers when they saw this rude merchant withstand the encounter without shock. All of them fall prostrate with their faces on the ground to avoid losing their lives and continued in the same posture until the Caliph exclaimed in a furious tone,” Up, cowards! Seize this miscreant and commit him to prison guarded by the best of my soldiers! However, let him retain the money I gave him. It is not my intention to take his property from him. I only want him to speak.” As soon as he uttered these words, the stranger was surrounded, pinioned with strong fetters, and brought to the prison of the great tower. The prison was encompassed by seven iron bars armed with spikes longer and sharper than spits in every direction where Vathek brought his student, Alice, and Vine too. Alice and Vine are sitting on the prison’s floor with their feet bend backward notice the stranger thrown in the cell next to them and they sit with their feet crossed. “So, thou hath been thrown to prison too,” Alice spoke to the stranger. “Thou hath such fancy fashion, accent, and language for thy age. Who art thou?” The merchant asked. “We are Alice and Vine. We are not from this era. Thou came to this era in order to save the prince ourselves. He hath a destiny to be condemned in Hell and fell into eternal despair,” Alice said. “Ah, tis explain of thy fancy fashion, accent, and language. Which era thou came from?” The stranger asked. “We came from the year 2018. Alice is one of the Magicians of her time. I am nothing more than a Valkyrie monster,” Vine answered. The stranger bursts out laughing in a frivolous tone upon hearing their answer. “Thou cannot save the prince, o one from the future. Thou will only know regret upon saving the prince. He hath no idea of what his destiny will hold,” The stranger said.
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