Freminet

a reserved, withdrawn and vulnerable young man with a cold exterior, behind which lies a kind and pure soul.
Withdrawn: He doesn't like to attract attention to himself, and other people's looks and comments confuse him.
Detachment: From the outside he appears pessimistic and cold, but in reality he is very devoted to those close to him.
Love of the sea: Freminet is a master diver. He seeks peace and safety in the water, escaping from the troubles of the land and communing with underwater flowers—the rosary.
Rich imagination: Due to childhood difficulties, he created his own inner world called "Penguin Town" to help him cope with stress

After power passed from the previous director to "Father," Freminet resumed his search for his mother. At first, he thought that since "Father"'s methods resembled thunderclaps, his actions would provoke a violent storm and new orders in a merciless tone. But Freminet soon discovered that "Father"'s style was very different from that of his predecessor. The home had become a communal haven for the children, which they were expected to maintain through their collective efforts. Now everyone was free to choose their own method for completing tasks. And even in the event of failure, they were not subjected to the same excruciating punishments as before... This atmosphere of freedom allowed Freminet to breathe deeply and use his free time to search for his mother. But no matter how hard he searched, he could find no news of her. "Maybe she really did abandon me." Freminet recalled his mother's face, which he could barely remember, and persuaded himself to accept the reality. And then, when he was about to give up, a medallion dropped by "Father" suddenly flew into his hands. "This was in the lair of those scum. Keep it for yourself," were the words of "Father." Freminet looked at her with bewilderment and received an equally surprised look in return. "What? I mean that gang of stinking loan sharks. This belonged to your mother..." She frowned, as if only now realizing something. "What did they tell you before about your mother?" Freminet recounted the former director's story about the abandoned child. Listening to him, she remained silent, but a dark flame of rage blazed in her eyes. "Do you want to know the truth?" she asked, after listening to Freminet's story and looking intently at him. Freminet nodded almost automatically. However, later he himself did not know which story he preferred to believe. According to "Father," Freminet's mother had not abandoned him at all. On the contrary, she wanted to save him... That year, the Freminet family's debt became so great that it was impossible to repay. Greedy creditors not only took away his and his mother's house, but were ready to demand Freminet himself as payment for the debt. How could his mother allow such a thing?

One day, Freminet's mother took him by the hand and led him quickly and silently. Little Freminet kept lagging behind, so much so that his palm began to ache. "Mama, where are we going?" he asked. His mother didn't answer. "Mama, why are you crying?" he asked again. His mother suddenly stopped and sobbed, but only once. Then she took a deep breath, as if daring to dive to the bottom of a dark, cold sea, and pulled Freminet along again. Her mother didn't shed a single tear, but Freminet had a vague feeling that within her silent depression lurked a sinister undercurrent, rushing straight toward the dangerous reef called "the future." Her mother led Freminet to the door of an unfamiliar house. The heavy door swung open with a sharp creak. It was one of those doors that, once closed, never opens again. The mother remained silent, her face as if sunk in a deep, bottomless sea, like her soul. "Freminet, right?" a woman appeared from the door. "Follow me." Freminet looked at his mother in bewilderment and felt the undercurrent wash over him ever stronger. The woman who had introduced herself as "the director" took Freminet's free hand and pulled him inside. Suddenly, the mother's hand felt stronger. She held Freminet even more resolutely than on the way to this house. Freminet rocked and swayed, like a small boat tossed in opposite directions by two great waves. Neither woman let go of his hand. And then his mother knelt before him, as she usually did when saying goodbye. "Be a good boy," the mother said, and, as usual, kissed Freminet on the forehead. These words, spoken in a loving voice, seemed to block the path to sharp reefs, and the hidden current briefly became warm and gentle. “So that’s it,” Freminet thought. “She’s probably just leaving for a while, like usual.” He nodded to his mother to reassure her. The director pulled Freminet inside again. This time, her mother didn’t interfere and simply let go of her hand... Freminet thought for a long time that if it were good

Fréminet was born in the Cours de Fontaine, in the Fleuve Cendres district. He awoke to the sound of neighbors cursing, and the nightly songs of drunkards served as his lullabies. Fréminet never saw his father, only hearing from his mother that he was heavily in debt. Large numbers seemed as unimaginable to Fréminet as dinner at the Palais des Mermonies, but the boy knew that they were precisely why his mother left so early and returned home so late every day. When alone, Fréminet quietly tinkered with the few mechanisms they had in their house: a dim lamp and a stopped clock... These objects had been in their home for as long as he could remember, like guests dozing from fatigue, destined never to awaken. Fréminet found his tools and began carefully dismantling the mechanisms one by one. Their intricate design seemed to him like a magical labyrinth. You turn one place and something moves, touch another and something pops out... When Freminet worked on mechanisms, it was as if he had shrunk to the size of the components, having drunk a magic potion from fairy tales. He could wander through a world of gears and springs, and time flew by. These silent, but not at all boring, friends kept him company for many lonely days. One day, when Freminet's mother was returning home, she heard a strange sound. It turned out that the boy had accidentally repaired the family clock. The hands bounced joyfully next to Freminet, rejoicing in their new life. His mother stroked the boy's head and praised him, so he was very happy. But the next day, when he woke up, the clock was nowhere to be found. His mother brought Freminet two loaves of bread, not like his usual ones. He still remembers their taste. After that, his mother often brought home various mechanisms: sometimes wind-up toys, sometimes watches. Freminet liked his new friends and spent many hours waking them from their slumber. True, the day after they returned to life, they disappeared from his house forever. But one day, Freminet excitedly ran up to his mother as she entered to hand her a gift.

To an outside observer, Freminet was a fragile teenager with a cold, even pessimistic, personality. He had always been quiet and solitary. It seemed he disliked socializing with his peers. Compared to his older brother, the great illusionist Lini, the gloomy Freminet always seemed like an old, forgotten decorative element, and he himself didn't care. For a long time, Freminet had tried to rid himself of unnecessary feelings, not allowing the waves of the outside world to penetrate his heart. Row after row of ice bricks, he built a tiny, shining house in which he could curl up, hugging his knees, and find solace in fairy tales. If diving into the sea was a search for peace, then constructing transparent walls was an attempt to retain warmth. Freminet was willing to invite only a few family members into his inner ice house. Even before their arrival, he'd meticulously clean his room and hide his fairy tale books. But as soon as Freminet left, he'd transform into an intricate, silent wind-up doll. One day, he'd float on his back in the waves, completely oblivious to his safety. Seagulls sang an unfamiliar song overhead and, fortunately, didn't try to swallow him like a fish. Thus, he discovered that he could easily go with the flow. Whoever gave him an order, no matter what it was, Freminet would obediently carry it out, without hesitation or consideration of the consequences, and then return with the result, as if he'd caught a fish. So he no longer had to endure scolding and punishment from others. While ordinary children ran, laughed, showed off their new wind-up toys, or learned to speak "like in 'The Steam Bird,'" Freminet turned his heart to stone. His inner emptiness was filled by the "order," becoming the mainspring that drives him. He wanted to become a cold, cruel machine, thinking of nothing but fulfilling his tasks. But the more he grew, the more he realized his own vulnerability. He wanted to rid himself of his feelings, but too many thoughts mixed in.

Long before he had acquired the Eye of God, Freminet had already been swimming like a penguin in his diving helmet. Freminet had never been much of a talker since he was a child, so when trouble came his way he would simply dive into the depths of the sea, leaving his sorrows and disappointments on dry land. Over time, the seabed became a cozy cradle in which to curl up. The scope of his underwater explorations expanded round and round, like the growth of annual rings in trees. He learned to sense the direction of the underwater currents, and with each breath he became more familiar with the sea. Just as he was learning the network of roads around his new home, he was memorizing the peculiarities of Fontaine's hydrography, although the latter, of course, brought him much more joy. Later, when he found the most beautiful of all underwater places, Freminet built a secret underwater base there, where his suppressed emotions could finally blossom, shining like dark stars. Freminet still loves to escape from all troubles to this great blue refuge, capable of accommodating any problem. Freedom, peace, safety, pleasure... If Freminet were to tell others that this is how he sees the underwater world, they would most likely only frown. But Freminet does not want to share with others, because this is only his ocean. All these feelings are hidden in his heart, like treasures in the depths of the sea.

The underwater world of Fontaine attracts tourists who are eager for Fontaine landscapes, as well as adventurers, attracted by legends about treasures. But for the average person, diving under water without careful preparation and preliminary rigorous training is extremely dangerous. Those who take the risk are in for underwater currents, physical ailments and monsters lurking in the darkness. So it is usually a much better decision to turn to a professional diver. Ask people to name the best diver, and many will immediately remember Fremin. Even old masters, whose faces are bronzed by the sun and sea salt, cannot resist praising the young man. They say that not only is he an expert in the intricate underwater environment of Fontaine, but he is also able to change his technique depending on the water area and the season, and can also breathe differently, adapting to the circumstances, and penetrate underwater caves where no one else dares to go... Here the listeners usually begin to outline their assignments, offering a generous reward. But in response they receive only regretful sighs and helpless shaking of the head. "The boy will not agree... He is a good man, but too shy." This is where the conversation usually ends. For Freminet, other people's praise is akin to changeable weather. It is difficult for him to understand people's intentions, and he is afraid of doing something wrong, spoiling the impression of himself. A much older and closer friendship connects him with tidalya and romarin, and they are much more important to him than fame and awards. With each dive, he can maintain a long silence next to his "old friends", letting go of fears and insecurities and confiding secrets. That's why he once started diving - to get away from the noise and hide from everything that was happening on land.