Warning for body horror (I think? No drawings just writing
The rest is under cut
(These are all in stages, the more you use it the more you progress, there’s not exact amount to break through the next stage, all just depends on the strength of the user)
Stage 1: starts with slight headaches, not too bad but still noticeable, there’s usually a specific spot where all the pain hurts the most, this is where the horn/s will come out
You may start to lose weight too, may be from all the fats turning into energy, and then magic
Y’know, from reviving
Stage 2: you start feeling lighter, this turns out to be your bones thinning and bone marrow disappearing (who knows where? (you’ll find out soon) Dream only figure out stage 2 when Quackity cuts off his leg)
You will feel very wobbly! Your bones are still adjusting to how light you feel (must’ve hurt putting on that armour, did holding the axe feel like it was going to rip your arm off from the weight?)
Stage 3: you start to feel a swelling headache, no longer a slight one, it’s so painful some flashes will make you lose your vision, but don’t worry, there’s still a chance to go back (your only chance out)
Stage 4: The point of no return is when your head starts to swell, for dreams case, this was the middle of the forehead, many with think they somehow hit their head and forgot, Dreams too smart for that, he figured it out pretty quickly
Final stage: For a while you’re skin will adjust, then, it’ll stretch, and stretch, and stretch, until about one inch protrudes from you skull, then it wants out quicker, it’ll grow quicker, your skin with start to grow irradiated and red, you’ll want to rip your skin out, the horn will do that one itself
Now the horn is different depending on your species, if you already have horns, great! You skipped a bunch of the steps, you will feel very unbalanced from the weight, like a drunk! Or you’ll want to drink to stave off the pain.
The bone growth doesn’t look smooth, it looks jagged like a tree branch, nearly willing to split off into parts, maybe it will.
What I’m trying to say is that it looks unnatural, but running from the natural cycle of death is also unnatural too no?
This doesn’t mean unicorns aren’t real, they very much are, maybe Dream was one, or could’ve been one (he was a baby in godly terms, horns wouldn’t have grown for a while) XD is, maybe if he practiced safer magic he could’ve had a smooth one, one that could’ve been shown off,
But no, he’s stuck with this disgusting abnormality on his head now.
Just an idea but the revive book made them grow horns, like Schlatt horns grew a bit larger because of use with the revive book, but it was so little that they only got a bit bigger.
Dreams horn also only started to grow while experimenting with the revive book.
Maybe it’s some kind of curse? A tell of who’s or acting dark magic? Maybes it’s the effects and strain of using such a powerful spell that it forces literal bone to move up to the skull.
Your head is your central magic after all : )
Also dream gets migraines whenever he using the book