Reeling after Alphonse's explosive assertion that he had never asked for his current body, Edward apologizes dejectedly and promises that he will do everything in his power to return his brother to his human state. However, Al, remembering the words of Barry the Chopper, questions angrily whether he had ever actually been human, suggesting that - while alchemical theory supposes the existence of a soul and mind as essential parts of the human being - these ethereal concepts have never been verified and could conceivably be fabricated. Recalling that Edward had mentioned a few days ago that there was something he was too afraid to discuss with him, Alphonse posits angrily that what Edward had been too frightened to say was that the human boy called Alphonse Elric had never existed and the s