'The Vampire Diaries' season 8 episode 10 spoilers: Familiar characters to return; Ian Somerhalder discusses Elena's influence on Damon

The race against time for the bell continues on the upcoming episode of The CW's hit supernatural drama "The Vampire Diaries" season 8.

Titled "Nostalgia's A B-tch," this week's episode will see the Damon (Ian Somerhalder) suffer at the hands of Sybil (guest star Nathalie Kelley). According to the official synopsis, Sybil enacts revenge on Damon by placing him in an immobile state. After entering Damon's mind, Caroline (Candice King) and Bonnie (Kat Graham) discover several familiar faces from the past. They also realize that Stefan (Paul Wesley) is the only key to helping Damon. Also, the race to find the bell continues as both Sybil and her sister, Seline (Kristen Gutoskie), do everything they can to control it.

"The Vampire Diaries" only has 7 episodes left before the series comes to an end. Fans are hoping to see Nina Dobrev reprise her role as Elena for one last time, but unfortunately, there's still no word on whether she'll return or not. Speaking with TV Line, Somerhalder said Elena continues to be present in Damon's life even though she is no longer with him. The actor revealed that she plays a major role in Damon's morality, and it will be seen in the show's upcoming episodes.

"I don't know exactly what's happening," the actor explained. "But I do know one thing: Elena never really left. She's always ever-present, and she plays a great deal into Damon's morality, his understanding of who he is — especially in these last episodes," he went on to say.

Somerhalder added that Damon's decisions are also somehow influenced by Elena. "Despite everything he's gotten involved with, he's still trying to make decisions Elena would approve of, because she is still the light in his life, even cast in the darkness of her absence," he continued.

The eighth and final season of "The Vampire Diaries" airs every Friday night at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.