Tala: The Battle of Pag-Ibig

In a version of modern-day Manila where ancient subterranean entities feed on human vice, sixteen-year-old Tala, a scavenger from the slums of Tondo, discovers that her city is literally built on a fault line of lost hope. When a clandestine group of billionaire developers-secretly puppets for the Taga-Ilalim (The Underworld Shadows)-begin a series of predatory land-grabs to trigger a catastrophic "Big One, " Tala is thrust into the role of the "Star from the Earth."Guided by the forgotten Guardians of the archipelago, she learns that her ability to "fix broken things" isn't just a talent for scrap metal-it is the power to mend the spiritual resonance of the city.
As Manila teeters on the edge of tectonic collapse, Tala must lead a ragtag crew of street-smart friends in a high-stakes war against the Generals of Greed, Envy, and Despair. In a world where the shadows hide in plain sight, Tala discovers that the only force capable of sealing the breach isn't a weapon of light, but the unbreakable Chain of Kindness forged by the people she fights to protect.