Nina Dobrev's Elena is no longer actively involved in making Mystic Falls a place where the supernatural beings such as the vampires, and humans can co-exist, thanks to Kai.

The Big Bad of season 6 made sure Elena will stay out of trouble for at least six decades by casting a sleeping spell on her, and now it's up to her friends to make sure that the new villains, the Heretics, do not ruin their hometown.

The Heretics are back to the land of the living after nearly 100 years of being trapped in a prison world, and getting accustomed to life in Mystic Falls is surely going to take time.

This will result in them doing some pretty horrible stuff, and Caroline and Stefan will be entrusted with the task of cleaning up after them. "There's some funny adjusting at first — they're waking up 100 years in the future where there are iPhones, computers and all that — but there's also some darkness going on," Elizabeth Blackmore, who plays Heretic Valerie, told TVLine.

The focus of season 7 is going to be the relationship of the Salvatore brothers – Damon and Stefan – with their mother Lily, something that has been strained ever since they found out she left them voluntarily.

Will she still be their enemy? "She's not [Stefan's] enemy, but she's not totally his mom," actor Paul Wesley explained. "She's definitely not on his side, and he doesn't trust her, but he has more empathy for her than Damon has."

Ian Somerhalder, who plays elder brother Damon Salvatore, said her children are not going to like being treated as "bastard children."

"It's not cool at all that she left us and had this entirely new family that we're not even a part of. She treats us like we're outcasts, like we're the bastard children. There area lot of dynamics floating around, so I don't know where Damon's going to go from here," Somerhalder said.

"The Vampire Diaries" will return to the CW in October.