Visions of the Future (幻視の未来 Genshi no Mirai?) is the 2nd chapter of the 5th volume and the 15th chapter overall of the Attack on Titan: Before the Fall manga, written by Ryō Suzukaze and illustrated by Satoshi Shiki.
Overview
In the dining hall, Kuklo notices how distant Sharle gets towards everyone. She then leaves in an aggravated manner. Sharle laments her behavior, all the while questioning Kuklo's resolve. Later, Sharle plans to destroy the Device but cannot bring herself to do it. Kuklo finds her in the foreman's workshop and apologizes. This leaves Sharle flustered and she starts crying. Kuklo embraces her for a brief moment and explains everything that happened.
Sharle asks Kuklo why he would still be interested in joining the Survey Corps after all the turmoil. He reveals that he loves everyone of the world and clarifies that everyone has emotions, expressing his gratitude towards Sharle. Sharle feels guilty about how Kuklo was treated by her family, however, Kuklo makes Sharle acknowledge that her family were still people with reasonable intentions. This realization for Kuklo drove his motive of joining the Survey Corps, as he fears that the Titans will one day overcome the innocent people of humanity. Cardina, Jorge, and Xenophon eavesdrop and feel threatened by this possibility.
Summary
Sharle prepares to destroy the device
While eating together in Xenophon Harkimo's workshop, Kuklo begins to grow worried by Sharle Inocencio's cold treatment of everyone. When asked by Xenophon, Jorge Pikale reveals that he will be departing in the morning to return to his duties as a Trainee Instructor in Holst District. When Xenophon mentions the device, Sharle grows agitated and leaves. As Sharle makes tea, she begins to feel guilty for her behavior. However, remembering the feeling of waiting for Kuklo to return from beyond the Walls, Sharle becomes determined to stop Kuklo from joining the Survey Corps.
Sneaking into Xenophon's office, Sharle prepares to smash the device, hoping that without it Kuklo will lose his reason to join the Corps, but is unable to bring herself to destroy it. She is surprised by Kuklo, who arrives to apologize for his late arrival from the Survey Corps expedition that he stowed away on. As Kuklo explains that he was worried that Sharle might have been angry at him for never apologizing, Sharle begins to cry as she explains that she had simply been afraid that he would not return. After hearing what happened during the expedition, Sharle wants to know why he still wants to join the Survey Corps. To her surprise, Kuklo reveals, after some consideration, that its because he loves the people of the world. After years observing the outside world from his cage, Kuklo became fascinated with everything it had to offer, but he was only able to fully understand all of these things after he met Sharle, who taught him how to speak.
Kuklo embraces Sharle
As Kuklo recalls all of the people who gave aid to the two of them while they were on the run, Sharle points out that her brother was always cruel to him; Kuklo says that Xavi was the first person who beat him with his fists instead of a weapon, and that the only time he ever truly sensed any malice from Xavi was when the Titan Cult invaded the Inocencio estate. He reveals that he doesn't have any hatred for her father either, because he was able to tell that Dario at least cared for his children. When Sharle protests that Dario only cared for Xavi, Kuklo presents her with the knife she gave him. He reveals, to her surprise, that the knife had injured a Titan during the expedition beyond the Walls. Kuklo then reveals to Sharle that Xenophon recognized her knife, as it was of his own design, and that he had once sold one like it to Dario, who hoped that a knife with the ability to hurt Titans would help ease Sharle's deep fear of Titans.
The possibility of Titans breaching the Wall
Kuklo tells Sharle that he had hoped that, since humans and Titans look similar, they would share similar emotions. However, after seeing that they possess no emotions, he has become convinced that they should not exist. He reveals that, now that he has seen them, he cannot let them continue to live on so close, and pose a threat to the Walls. Sharle insists that Kuklo does not have to continue fighting, but Kuklo insists that he does. He does because he is sure that one day the Titans will succeed in breaching the Walls again; unbeknownst to either of them, Jorge, Cardina and Xenophon overhear this and are terrified at the possibility.
Characters in order of appearance
- Cardina Baumeister
- Jorge Pikale
- Xenophon Harkimo
- Kuklo
- Sharle Inocencio
- Xavi Inocencio (flashback)
- Dario Inocencio (flashback)