Although Elena will no longer be in Mystic Falls on "The Vampire Diaries" season 7, those that she left behind will still feel her presence — or the lack of it — in their own unique way. Her departure has a continuing effect. Proof of this is Damon's reversion to his dark persona. 

In a chat with Melty, actor Ian Somerhalder, who plays the role of the problematic vampire, reiterated that his character will once again slip into the "volatile, scary, dark" nature he had in the first couple of seasons, before Elena came to his life and changed him for the better. 

The actor went on to say that fans already saw a glimpse of that sort of relapse in the season 6 finale, where he stood sinister and brooding at the top of the clock tower. Season 7 will give a free rein to the malevolence he bottled up. 

It remains to be seen how Damon will show his dark side once more in the new season. One theory is that Damon's badness will be exhibited by having him join his mother Lily, who is said to be the new baddie in the show, and her killer Heretic friends. Melty also predicts that Damon might end up putting the blame on Lily for Elena's horrible fate and will go on to make her pay for it and ultimately become her biggest enemy. All the same, only time will tell how evil Damon will  be. 

Bonnie, on the other hand, "feels guilty" about how things ended for Elena. Kat Graham, who plays the character, told Digital Spy that in the new season, Bonnie is finally "going to do what [she needs] to do for [her]self" after "losing a lot of herself" in light of the sacrifices she made. 

"The Vampire Diaries" season 7 will premiere Oct. 8.