Basil stepped back instinctively when Jace aimed his gun at him, raising his hands defensively in spite of knowing that none of those actions would deflect a bullet. He then said, "I-I don't know! Maybe there isn't even a genuine reason for any of this--it could just be for someone's sick sense of curiosity or amusement! It wasn't as if I had someone mysterious stranger come to me and tell me all of this, then announce what my true purpose of existing is!" He took another step back. "Look, there's...there's no reason to kill me. I know that it's a lot to take in, but I told you so that you could know, not so that you could have the opportunity for...this."