From fire and storm, from sea and sky,
The Bagani's mark shall never die.
The Pearl shall shine where shadows fall,
Its chosen heir shall hear the call.
Through moonlit gates where mortals see naught,
The Arch reveals the school long sought.
For only those with magic's light,
Shall walk the path that hides from sight.
There are truths in this world that ordinary eyes are not meant to see, and secrets that prefer to remain hidden. Yet in an archipelago of more than seven thousand islands—woven with legends of diwata and engkanto, guarded by saints and spirits alike—mystery cannot stay buried forever.
Beyond the flashing billboards along EDSA, the honking jeepneys on narrow streets, and the endless hum of Metro Manila, forces older than history move quietly, unseen. Some whisper prayers to the anito, others make offerings to unseen beings, and many still light candles before saints in crowded chapels. But behind them all lies one truth: magic is real—ancient, powerful, and long concealed beneath the sun of the Orient.
And among this hidden world exists a prophecy as old as the islands themselves:
Those only who are born with the mark of a true Bagani are destined to become greatest among all wizards, and be the sole guardian of the Orient Pearl.
Yet not all who hear this prophecy rejoice. For in the shadows, cloaked in secrecy and malice, stir those who would see the Pearl fall into darker hands. They are wizards who turned away from the ancient oaths, whose hunger for power is as endless as the seas that surround the islands. For them, the Pearl is not a symbol of light and unity, but a weapon—one that could bend the will of spirits, silence the diwatas, and enslave the archipelago under their command.
They wait, patient as serpents, hidden in the forgotten ruins of old kingdoms and in the blind spots of modern cities. Watching. Whispering. Gathering strength. And when the Pearl reveals itself once more, they intend to strike.
Yet destiny has chosen otherwise.
Even the oldest landmarks of the land conceal such secrets. Students and visitors walk each day through the Arch of Centuries at the University of Santo Tomás, believing it nothing more than stone and history. Yet for those born with magic, the Arch is far more: a shimmering Portal that opens only to their eyes, a gateway to realms where the ancient arts of the islands are still preserved.
And this story begins with a boy who knew nothing of such things. Juan Dela Cruz, the only child of a simple family living in the City of Manila, cared only for his school allowance, the taste of tapsilog in the morning, and how to squeeze through the chaos of Manila's rush hour. Yet, like a pearl hidden within its rough shell, something greater lay buried in his blood and name.
He did not yet know it, but the arrival of a letter—sealed with the emblem of a golden sun encircling a luminous pearl, and a school stamp on a letter he know not—would soon open the door to a world he never imagined was real.
And thus would begin his journey: a path of courage, friendship, and ancient magic, bound to the fate of the Pearl of the Orient.