Fan CastingTHE BLACK CHRYSANTHEMUM (2032)

The year is 1587, during the tumultuous Sengoku period. Daimyo Ichiro commissions Takashi, a masterless ronin, to retrieve the "Black Chrysanthemum," a sacred relic believed to bestow divine authority on whoever possesses it. Stolen by a rival warlord, the relic’s theft has plunged the daimyo’s domain into chaos and famine. Takashi accepts the mission not out of loyalty but to escape the dishonor of a failed rebellion that left his clan decimated. Accompanied by a mysterious young guide, Akiko, who claims to know the path through the cursed mountains where the relic is hidden, Takashi embarks on a journey fraught with danger. As the pair traverse the mist-shrouded wilderness, they encounter remnants of a bygone world: hermit monks who speak in riddles, a blind musician whose songs foretell death, and a ruined village where the shadows seem alive. Takashi is plagued by visions of his wife and son, slain years ago, and begins to suspect the Black Chrysanthemum is not merely a relic but a cursed object feeding on the desires and regrets of those who seek it. When they reach the warlord’s stronghold, Takashi discovers that the Black Chrysanthemum has corrupted its new master, twisting the castle into a nightmarish labyrinth. In the final confrontation, Takashi must choose between seizing the relic to restore his honor or destroying it to end its curse—knowing the act may cost him his life.