Mr-Calma
This short story follows Miguel Albrin, a scholar of antiquities preoccupied with esoteric subjects, who partners with the practical Marcus to explore unconventional knowledge. When Albrin discovers references to the "Black Sign"-a glyph said to connect to other planes and beings-he fixates on it despite Marcus's warnings. His research leads to restricted sources, and he soon shows physical and behavioral changes, while Marcus experiences strange phenomena like vibrating air and an ozone odor. A parchment bearing the sign and activation instructions is recovered from a cursed Southeast Asian temple, prompting Albrin to attempt an invocation at an isolated abandoned observatory. During the ritual, glowing symbols, shadowy entities, unusual sounds, and physical discomfort emerge; Marcus intervenes by tearing the parchment, halting the event. Albrin is left in despair from encountering the realm of the "Black Deceiver," an aspect of the entity Lester that seeks division. Though the sign is destroyed, knowledge remains-obscure texts link it to the creation of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, suggesting it drives humanity toward self-destruction, with its eventual emergence seen as inevitable.
(From the TMU/Transfinitian Myths Universe)